


The Right Swan

by NotDeadYet16



Category: Twilight, Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Bella Swan's Sister, Blood singer, Comfort, F/M, Romance, Vampires, mate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-23 03:34:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 34
Words: 66,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21313504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotDeadYet16/pseuds/NotDeadYet16
Summary: Toni Swan, younger sister to Isabella Swan, is moving in to her dad's house in Forks with said sister. On the first day of school, she catches a glimpse of the famous Cullens and is intrigued by their strange behavior. What happens when the youngest Swan sister catches the eye of the one and only Edward Cullen?
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Original Character(s), Edward Cullen/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 109





	1. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings (Nothing major, I promise!): Cussing, Mentions of Rape, Mentions of Abuse, Mentions of Murder, Mentions of Torture
> 
> All rights go to Stephanie Meyer for all book-related ideas and characters in this fan fiction. All ideas, characters, dialogue, etc. created by the author (me) should not be copied or stolen.
> 
> Plagiarism and copying are very disrespectful, even with fanfiction. Although we use aspects from the original story/series, we incorporate our own, original spin on it. Unrecognizable words, dialogue, description, plot, etc from this story are mine. Please !! do not take original work from me.
> 
> Stay healthy and stay safe, everyone!
> 
> Story edited 07/21/2020

**Toni's P.O.V.**

"Toni, Bella, you don't have to do this," my mother said for what felt like the thousandth time. We were outside of the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport; Mom was dropping my sister and me off so we could catch our plane to Seattle, Washington. We were moving in with our father after living with our mother our whole lives.

"I want to go."

I rolled my eyes as I heard the lie slip through Bella's mouth. She was a terrible liar, anyone could tell, but she was saying that to mom for so long that I guess it must have sounded a bit truthful.

"You know I've been wanting to see dad," I said to my mom. My dad and I got along great, better than my mom and me. Our relationship was very relaxed and comfortable, while my relationship with my mom was full of tension. We butted heads too much to be comfortable in each other's presence. Out of respect for her, I set aside our differences to act civilly.

Bella's relationship with our mom was solid, but her relationship with our dad was awkward. They could barely hold a conversation together due to their fear of affection, which made me wonder why she was coming along in the first place. At first, I was the only one going, but I guess once she caught wind of my leaving, she just had to tag along.

"Tell Charlie I said 'Hi,'" mom said.

"We will," I promised, trying to speed up the goodbye. Mom was known to get a bit emotional sometimes.

"Tell Phil we said 'Goodbye,'" I said to my mom, "and wish him luck for us."

"I will. Now, get going! You might miss your plane!"

After mom gave each of us a big, long hug, we grabbed our belongings and headed towards the plane. The plane ride from Phoenix to Seattle was four and a half hours long, which was great for a semi-nervous flyer such as myself. It wasn't too long of a flight if you thought about it, but because I would be sitting the whole time and the spacing was limited on the plane, I started to dread flying even more. To pass the time, I took my MP3 player out of my carry-on and plugged in my headphones. I stuffed them into my ears and willed the lovely piano notes of 'River Flows in You' by Yiruma to lull me to sleep.

* * *

I awoke to someone shaking me and immediately started groaning.

"Toni, wake up. We're here," Bella said. I opened my eyes and noticed that my headphones were hanging out of my ears and that almost everyone had left the plane. I stood up from my seat, stretched, and reached my hands into the compartment above my seat to grab my carry-on.

I followed Bella off the plane and towards the baggage claim where I found my forest green bag in minutes. As soon as Bella found her bag, we started making our way towards the front of the airport to search for our dad.

He was in his police uniform standing awkwardly by himself, holding a sign that had our names on it. His posture showed that he was stiff and uncomfortable with the glances people were giving him, and he kept glancing around the airport. I ran up to him, threw my arms around him, and yelled, "Daddy!"

He chuckled and said, "Hey there Toni. Good to see you, too," while returning my hug. It felt nice to see him again. I obtained a lot of my features from my father, including my waist-length, curly, black hair; his jaw structure; and his height (I stood at about 5 feet 8 inches, whereas Bella was about 5 feet 5 inches). The only thing I didn't obtain from him was his brown eyes; I had my mom's baby blues.

I could tell when Bella reached us when dad pulled out of the hug and gave her an awkward one-armed hug.

"It's good to see you Bells," he said to her. "Haven't changed a bit. How's Renee?"

"Mom's fine. It's good to see you too, dad," she hesitantly replied. I rolled my eyes at Bella's awkwardness and started walking towards the exit doors. When I got outside, I instantly spotted the cruiser in the parking lot. I smiled and shook my head in amusement. When Bella saw it, she groaned and trudged its way. I sighed and followed her lead; it wasn't dad's fault that he only had the cruiser for transportation. When dad unlocked the car, Bella took the front, while I took the back. I didn't mind, though, because I was still tired from my four-hour nap on the plane and didn't feel like participating in the uncomfortable conversation I knew was to come.

I awoke from my slumber a few minutes before we arrived home. I could tell we were close because of the landmarks I used to use to help me get home when I was little and dad was too busy with his job to pick me up. Bella had stopped coming here during the summer, while I, for some odd reason, felt attached to Forks and visited as much as possible. I just felt like I was meant to be there for some reason.

Forks, Washington was a small town with a few thousand people holding the title of residency. It was great because it was almost impossible to get lost, and there weren't as many people judging you. I also liked Forks because it was a type of town where everyone and their mother knew each other. The downside to that, though, was that gossip spread a lot faster and the people were harsher in their judgment.

As soon as we pulled into the driveway, I jumped out of the cruiser and focused my attention on an old, red, rusty Chevy that was parked in the driveway.

"Who's car?" I asked dad.

"Bella's. I just bought it off Billy Black. You remember him, right?" he asked Bella and me.

"Of course! Billy's the greatest old person I know!"

Dad chuckled. "Well, don't let him hear you call him that."

"What year is it?" Bella asked while coming out of the cruiser. You could tell by dad's face that that was one of the questions he didn't want her to ask.

"Well, Billy's done some work on the engine; it's only a few years old really," dad said while rubbing his neck.

"When did he buy it?"

"He bought it in 1984, I think."

"Did he buy it new?"

"Well no, I think it's from the early sixties, or late fifties at the earliest," he said sheepishly. I smiled at that. The only thing all of us shared as a character trait was being easily embarrassed.

"I didn't forget you, Toni," he said while popping the trunk. He brought out a big box wrapped in green-colored wrapping paper topped off with a big bow on top. My eyes grew big as I saw it.

"What is it!? What is it!?"

"Open it," Bella said a little rudely.

I gave her a side look and proceeded to open my gift. I opened it to see a supply of art stuff; sketchbooks, colored pencils, charcoal, pencils, and more. I smiled and hugged him. I loved art and I was pretty good at it, so whenever I found time, I made a new piece.

"Thanks, dad!"

"You're welcome, kid," he said to me while messing up my hair. "I know you don't have your license yet, so I figured this was the next best thing."

I grumbled at his actions, grabbed my stuff, and took it upstairs into the attic, or more importantly, my room. A few months after Bella was born, dad and mom were going to divorce, but they soon found out that mom was pregnant with me. When they found out, they decided to try to stay together. The house we lived in had only two bedrooms, so when I was born, they renovated the attic for me to use when I got older. It was a waste of time, though, because a couple of months later, they divorced and mom took Bella and me with her.

It looked a bit different from the last time I was there; the walls were still a mint green color, the carpet was still white, and the bed still had a mint green bedspread. The only difference was that the bed was queen-sized instead of a twin bed.

There were a few posters and artwork scattered along the walls and a bedside dresser next to my bed with a bear-shaped alarm clock on top of it. There was a vanity painted white across the room cluttered with pictures from past summers, along with a chair in front of it and a dresser right beside it that held my softball trophies. I smiled at them in remembrance.

I had been on a softball team in Phoenix with my best friend Mandy. We had met in fourth grade and instantly clicked. We found out we both liked playing softball, so we started playing on our local team. I played first base and she played third base. I was fifth in the batter's order and she was fourth. Sometimes we would be placed in the outfield next to each other and we'd goof around so much that we would have to run laps for the rest of practice. We won so many tournaments and games; I had about eight first place trophies and four, second place trophies.

I proceeded to unpack my things as I opened the boxes stacked up in the corner; we had some of our stuff shipped over here earlier. After I finished, I checked my clock and saw that it was already nine. I took my pajamas out of my drawer and grabbed some undergarments. I went into the bathroom to take a nice, hot shower. As soon as I was done, I dressed and turned the TV on in my room so I could watch some shows before bed. I shut off my lights and laid down in my bed. After a few hours, I curled up into a cocoon and fell into a restless sleep.


	2. 2

**Toni's P.O.V.**

Forks high school had an awesome total of three hundred and fifty-seven, now fifty-nine, students. There were more than seven hundred students in Bella's and my junior class alone back in Phoenix. I loved small schools. It was more comfortable and I felt like it would be easier to make friends. It was easier to match names to faces, as well, as you would see the same people in the hallways every day. The school Bella and I went to in Arizona was terrible. Don't get me wrong, the academics were amazing, especially their math department, but the kids were very pushy and unwelcoming. It was hard to remember everyone who went there, and it wasn't unheard of to see a new face every week. Because of this, I hadn't made many friends. Bella had a couple of friends, though, none of them close.

Finding the school wasn't difficult even though we had never been there before. It was just off the highway and had an obvious sign stating what it was. The school had a series of brick buildings, all matching and red. At first glance, it didn't look like a school. We parked in front of the first building, which had a small sign above it saying 'office'. We stepped out of the cab and headed towards the door. I noticed that no one else was parked there and made a mental note to tell Bella. I opened the door of the building, and, after seeing my sister hesitate, walked up to a desk with a lady sitting behind it. The woman was large, red-headed, and wore glasses. She was wearing a purple T-shirt, which made me feel just a little overdressed in my blouse. She looked up as she heard us approach her desk and asked, "Can I help you?"

"I'm Isabella Swan, and this is my sister Toni Swan," Bella answered. The woman's eyes lit up with awareness, alerting me that we were the topic of gossip for the past few weeks.

"Of course," she said joyfully. She rummaged through a pile of papers on her desk and brought out our schedules and maps of the school. She helped us find the best routes around the school by highlighting places on the map and gave us a slip of paper each. She explained what the paper was for, then let us go.

When we went back outside, other students were arriving, creating a long trail of cars. We hopped into the cab and started following the flow of traffic. As we drove, I noticed that many of the cars were older like the Chevy. The only car that stood out was a shiny, silver Volvo. I wondered whose it could be.

Bella parked the car as I jumped out of the cab and looked at my surroundings. Many of the kids were hanging around their cars in groups and were openly staring at me and the truck. I groaned, praying Bella would hurry up. I was going to wait for her, but it looked like she was trying to memorize the map. With a roll of my eyes and a huff of breath, I left her to go to my first class in building 3.

* * *

I left my trigonometry class to head towards the cafeteria. It wasn't hard to get caught up in my classes so far because I had done most of the material at my old school. I figured it would only take a week to fully catch up and started to plan when I would do each assignment. When I entered the cafeteria, I spotted my new friend, Angela. Angela was a short girl, shorter than Bella I presume, with wild, dark hair and glasses. We instantly clicked because of our love of books and spent time talking in the halls between classes. She was sitting at a table with a group of teens that included Bella.

I was introduced to Mike, who had blonde hair and blue eyes with a babyish face; Eric, an Asian guy with greasy, black hair and an over-friendly expression; Lauren; Tyler; Ben; and lastly, Jessica, the girl who loved to gossip.

"So, did you, like, never go outside?" Jessica asked Bella. Bella grimaced and shrugged.

"I'm not trying to be rude, it's just that I heard that people from Arizona were supposed to be, like, really tan."

"My mom's part albino," Bella replied monotonously.

"But your sister is tan," Jessica said confused.

"It was a joke, Jess," Mike said with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"Oh."

"So, how are you liking Forks, Arizona?" Mike asked me.

"I've been here hundreds of times before," I replied.

"Really," Mike said with surprise coloring his voice. "Then, why have we never met before?"

"I spent most of my time on the reservation," I said with a shrug. It was true. I was really shy as a kid, so instead of making new friends in Forks, I opted for hanging out with people I had known my whole life.

"Why?" Jessica asked.

"Because I know people who live there," I said frustrated. She was fishing for juicy information and I wasn't going to entertain her.

"Oh. Lucky."

I looked at Jessica and furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"I've seen some of the boys who live there and they are super cute."

I rolled my eyes and wondered why I was sitting with them. I had only been listening to Jessica for five minutes when I got fed up with her chatter and went to get lunch.

"Where are you going?" Bella asked me after I stood up. Even though Bella was confident and independent, she had her moments when she was scared of being on her own.

"I'm getting lunch," I said as I started to make my way to the lunch line. As I walked, I wondered if this school year was going to be any better than the last. I knew I wouldn't make the same mistake again; I was smarter than that now, but would I get sucked into new drama? Maybe I should have been paying more attention because as I was about to pass a door on the way up to the line, it suddenly opened and hit me in the face. I fell to the floor and held my face as it throbbed in pain. I wasn't bleeding, but I knew there was a possibility of a red mark.

"Seriously?" I muttered as I looked up to see who had hit me. I looked up and could only gape at the people in front of me. What Jessica failed to mention was that there were good-looking people in Forks, too.


	3. 3

**Toni's P.O.V.**

There were five of them in total, and all of them looked like angels. Every single one of them had pale, flawless skin, golden eyes, and inhumane beauty. Although they shared these traits, their other features varied.

There looked to be two couples, each couple holding hands. The first couple consisted of a monstrous boy and a beautiful girl. He looked more like a man due to the muscle mass that bulged beneath his tight-fitting shirt and his height. He had black, short hair that curled at the ends and contrasted against his pale skin, and he had a smile plastered on his face. All in all, he looked like a smaller, friendlier version of the Incredible Hulk. His girlfriend, I presumed, had a toned, hourglass figure and long, blonde hair that almost reached her waist. Her face bore a frown, and she looked like she was frustrated with me. All in all, she looked like she belonged on the runway rather than in Forks High School. Both seemed to be a perfect match for each other, or at least they looked like the perfect cliché, popular couple.

The next couple consisted of an awkward boy and a cheerful girl. The boy was tall and had chin-length, blonde hair that was parted to the side. His face was contorted into an expression similar to one of pain, and he was clutching the girl's hand tightly. He had perfect posture and a fair amount of muscle to his body. The girl was short with equally short, black hair that spiked outwards. All her features were small, including her nose and her ears. Her small-like frame and the constant smile painted across her features caused her to resemble a pixie. She was on the opposite side of the spectrum compared to her female blonde counterpart, but she was beautiful nonetheless. Again, the two teens in front of me seemed to be a perfect match.

The only single one of the bunch looked to be the youngest of them all. He had messy, bronze hair that looked like he just got out of bed. He had a little bit of muscle, making him the leanest out of the boys. He was the shortest of the boys, as well, but he was still a handful of inches taller than me. His eyes held recognition in them, and his mouth was set into a crooked smile.

The Cullens.

That was the first name that popped into my head. I had heard from Charlie about some miracle doctor moving to Forks a few years ago with his wife and adopted children. I had never seen them, though, so to say I was shocked about their looks would have been an understatement. I didn't think I remembered their names, though, as they were uncommon.

I went to stand up as the youngest boy held his hand out for me. I looked at his hand, then at his face, and took his hand as a smile graced my face. He hauled me up effortlessly and kept hold of my hand. His hand was cold, like ice, but it felt nice against my warm one. I felt a warm, tingly feeling run through my hand and up my arm and shivered slightly.

"Hello."

One simple word that had me nervously racking my brain for something to say. His voice was soft and velvety, like the type of music I listened to when I relaxed. I quickly realized that I had yet to say something and was still holding his hand. Embarrassed, I dropped his hand and settled on a simple, "Hi."

He frowned as I let go of his hand until understanding clouded his features.

"Hi, I'm Alice Cullen," the pixie-haired girl introduced herself.

"I'm Toni Swan."

"This is my sister Rosalie and my brother Emmett," she said while pointing to the blonde girl and the burly boy, both smiling a little cautiously at me, "this is my boyfriend Jasper," she continued as she gestured to the blonde attached to her hip, "and this is Edward," she finished as she pointed to the bronze-haired boy who had switched his frown for a small smile.

He had a nice smile.

"It's nice to meet you," I said with a genuine smile. I thrust my hand forward and waited for someone to shake it. When no one said or did anything, my smile dropped, as well as my hand, and I took a step back.

"I'm sorry. Sometimes I forget that most people nowadays don't like to shake hands," I said as I looked towards my feet. I instantly internally cursed at myself for being so shy.

"It's not that we don't like to shake hands per se, but we tend not to because of how cold our hands are. Many people shy away from the coldness of our hands, and we wished not to frighten you," Edward said.

"Oh. I guess that makes sense. Is it because of a lack of blood circulation? I heard that that was a symptom of some kind of disease," I replied. I was met with surprise-filled eyes and smirks. I immediately grew nervous and started messing with my fingers.

"I didn't mean to pry. I get curious sometimes," I said sheepishly.

"No, it's quite alright. The syndrome you were thinking of is Raynaud's syndrome and yes, we have it," Edward told me.

"How did you know about that?" Emmett asked me curiously.

"Uh, my grandma had it."

It was silent for a moment until Alice spoke up.

"We are going to enjoy our lunch. It was nice meeting you, Toni. I just know that we are going to be best friends."

"Yeah, I should be going, too. I haven't eaten yet, and my sister is waiting on me," I said. I turned away from them and walked towards the lunch counter. Out of curiosity, I looked back and noticed that they were seated in the back corner of the cafeteria away from the rest of the student body.

_Strange. I thought they would have been a bit more popular._

I heard a chuckle behind me as I focused my attention back on the task of getting food. I grabbed my greasy-looking meal and made my way back towards the table. As I neared, I saw that almost everyone at the table was staring at me. I sat down in my seat awkwardly and started to eat my food. I looked up as I realized that no one was talking.

"What?" I asked them. I picked up a chicken nugget from my tray and popped it in my mouth.

"Do you know who you just bumped into?" Jessica asked incredulously.

"Of course, I do. They're the Cullens," I retorted after I swallowed my food.

"And you don't care?"

"Should I?" I asked her as I reached for another nugget.

"Who are they?" Bella asked.

I looked over to see her blatantly staring at the Cullens. Jessica giggled, happy that someone finally asked.

"That's Emmett Cullen and Rosalie Hale, Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale, and the one by himself is Edward Cullen. They all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife," she whispered underneath her breath. Bella looked over at Edward and stared. I looked over, as well to see that he was picking at a bagel. It looked like his mouth was moving, maybe talking to the others, but they were all turned away from each other.

Strange.

"Hale?" Bella asked, confused. "I thought they were all Cullens?"

Jessica laughed at Bella's ignorance and explained, "Rosalie and Jasper are twins. I guess they just wanted to keep their last names."

"They are...very nice-looking," Bella stuttered out.

"Yes!" Jessica agreed with her while giggling yet again.

"They're all together, though; Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, I mean. And they live together."

I didn't understand what the big deal was. They lived together, but they weren't related. I mean, I guess it was still a bit taboo to live with someone you were dating before you were married, but what were they going to do with their parents in the house. Trust me, I knew. One time in middle school, I came home with one of my male classmates to complete a school project back in Arizona. My mom made us keep the door open to my bedroom and put a stupid baby monitor in the room. It was so embarrassing.

"Have they always lived in Forks?"

Bella's voice snapped me back to reality.

"No, of course not Isabella. We would have seen them when we were younger. They moved down a year or two ago," I said answering her question.

"And how do you know that?" she asked a little rudely.

"When I came down a couple of summers ago, I heard dad talking about a new doctor moving to town. I've never met them until now, but dad said they were nice people, especially their mom. I forget her name though. I think it was Esmeralda or something like that."

"Her name's Esme, and yeah, they moved down two years ago from Alaska," Jessica said while looking at me curiously. She was probably trying to figure out what else I knew.

Bella went back to 'examining' them like the stalker she was as I took a swig of my water. I remember one time, Bella liked this boy. He was a fairly popular guy in school with blonde, shaggy hair and deep green eyes. His name was Greyson. Bella had this huge crush on him and tried hard to make him notice her. She even changed her wardrobe to his 'liking.' One day, Bella went up to him and started talking to him. He brushed her off and told her she wasn't worth his time. It didn't end well. She started following him around and destroying his relationships. He finally got a restraining order on her, and she was grounded by our mom for two months.

I came back to the present as Bella asked who Edward was while staring at him. I looked back and forth between them curiously and stopped when Edward caught my eyes. He smiled crookedly at me and waved. I smiled and waved back as the bell rang to signal the end of lunch. I picked up my bookbag and my tray and threw away my trash with Bella hot on my heels. I looked over my shoulder at her, only to see her glaring at me so deadly, that I could have dropped dead.

_Did I do something wrong?_


	4. 4

**Bella's P.O.V.**

_What the hell?_

I couldn't stop that one question from running through my mind. As soon as I walked into Biology, I spotted Edward sitting at a desk with the only empty seat left in the classroom. A small smile lit up my face at the opportunity to talk to him, but it vanished soon after due to his changing attitude. I walked further into the room and stood in front of a fan. He tensed up and placed his hand over his nose and mouth, almost as if he had smelled raw sewage or spoiled milk. I stood there with a look of astonishment gracing my face. I couldn't believe he did that! I didn't even know what brought it on!

After getting my slip signed by the teacher, I sat next to Edward and took my notebook and a pencil out of my bag. He leaned away, angled his chair away from me, and averted his face all-the-while I rummaged through my bookbag. It irked me; I had just washed my hair the night before with my favorite strawberry shampoo, and I had taken a shower right before school. I tried to keep my focus on the teacher, but it was hard when there was an angry god-like boy beside me. I turned my head to look at him and was met with a pair of dark, hatred-filled eyes. He stared at me with his deadly glare the whole duration of the class, causing me to become uncomfortable and confused. When the bell rang to signal that class had ended, he rushed out of his seat and was out of the door faster than anyone could move.

I sighed in anger and stood up from my seat. I exited the classroom and made my way towards the main office to turn in my slip. It was slightly drizzling outside, so I rushed to the office in hopes that my hair wouldn't mess up too much. In no time, I arrived at the office and opened the door. When I stepped into the room, I noticed that Mrs. Cope was not at her desk and that Toni was already in the room. She was speaking politely to one person who would not speak to me: Edward.

"...different, but I like the rain and the cold better. The heat makes me uncomfortable."

"Is that one of the reasons why you kept visiting your father every summer?"

"Yes," she said as she laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. I narrowed my eyes at the movement and glared slightly at the thought of having competition. At that moment, a girl opened the door and allowed the wind to rustle my hair and the slip in my hand. Edward tensed and turned towards me with a glare adorning his face. Toni looked my way, as well, and beckoned me forward with a small smile.

"Isabella, come meet Edward," she said.

I shook my head and stayed rooted in place. Was she too stupid to notice the hostility Edward was showing me? Mrs. Cope came back to her desk and started arguing with Edward; he was trying to switch into a different science class but couldn't because the other science classes were full. I was appalled at the fact that he wanted to switch out of biology because I was in his class. We hadn't even spoken a single word to each other, yet he acted like I murdered his entire family.

"Never mind then," he said hastily. "I can see that it's impossible. Thank you so much for your help. I'll see you around, Toni."

He turned on his heels and disappeared through the door, slightly checking my shoulder as he left. I scoffed and muttered under my breath.

Mrs. Cope finally noticed me and Toni, and asked, "How was your first day at Forks High School?"

"Fine," I said while silently fuming. Why was he being so mean to me, but so nice to Toni? I mean, he liked her right away but shunned me the second he saw me.

"It was good, Mrs. Cope. Thanks for asking," Toni replied.

She made eye contact with me and snickered quietly with a smirk on her face. I rolled my eyes at her childlike behavior and walked out the door and towards the truck. Toni followed behind me after giving Mrs. Cope her slip.

"Why are you in such a bad mood?" Toni asked. She smirked and opened her mouth to say something, but I interrupted before she could.

"I'm not in the mood, Toni," I snapped out. She rolled her eyes and hopped into the truck. I followed suit to get out of the rain and cold and into warmth. After starting the engine, I quickly glanced through the mirror to see if the shiny Volvo was still in the parking lot. It wasn't.

* * *

"How?"

That was the first question that came out of my mouth as soon as I got Toni alone. Dad had wanted to 'celebrate' our homecoming by going out to the diner for dinner. Needless to say, I was too anxious to ambush her, so it was entirely too boring as I listened to endless stories of Toni and me when we were kids and met people I knew as a child.

"How what, my dear sister?" she asked sarcastically.

"I don't have time for your stupid, childish games Toni. Tell me how you managed to get Edward Cullen, let alone his entire family, to talk to you."

She smirked at me. Her eyes shined bright with mischief.

"It wasn't hard, Isabella. All I had to do was not be a total bitch when I talked to someone."

My face warmed up in anger, and I stalked towards her. I tried as best as I could to be face to face with her, but she was a little too tall to intimidate her that way. I tried anyways, going on my tiptoes, which added a couple of inches to my small frame. I put on the meanest face I could and started threatening her.

"I know you like him," I said. "No offense, but Edward is suited for someone better."

"Like you?" she snorted. "I'm not going to argue with you over a boy, Bella. I'm sure Edward would like someone who doesn't stalk and antagonize others."

"I don't know how you got him to believe you're such a great person, but I'm not giving up on him. He'll warm up to me eventually," I proclaimed.

"We'll see," she said before she sauntered off into her room. I huffed in frustration and stomped off to my room. Toni was the most annoying person in the world. I couldn't understand why people liked her so much. She was so full of herself and a know-it-all. She had so many people wrapped around her finger; even Charlie couldn't see who she really was!

_At least mom likes me better_.

It was true. I was my mom's precious, first-born child, and she showed her favoritism. She was always reluctant to buy and do things for Toni, but she was always in a rush to provide for me. I used to feel bad about it, but when I realized the rewards and attention I was getting felt so good, I stopped caring. Besides, I wasn't the one showing favoritism. I wasn't to blame, so it wasn't my responsibility to do anything about it.

I thought about the day's events as I changed into my pajamas and got settled in bed. Edward's smiling face wouldn't leave my mind. Although the smile wasn't directed at me, I felt giddy imagining it was. I'd turn his head soon enough.


	5. 5

**Toni's P.O.V.**

I groaned as my alarm clock annoyingly beeped with the need to be shut off. I flung my hand over the top of it and rolled out of bed. I went to my closet and picked an outfit out for the day before I made my way to the bathroom. I reached for the door handle but stopped when I heard the shower running.

"You have got to be kidding me," I grumbled. I went up to the white bathroom door and put my mouth to it.

"Bella."

No answer.

"Bella."

No answer.

"Isabella!"

"Huh!"

Finally!

"Hurry up! I still need to take a shower and we only have half an hour until we have to leave!"

"I'm almost done. Just wait a few minutes!" she shouted back. With a huge audible sigh, I took a towel and washcloth from the hallway closet and sat down in front of the bathroom door. As I waited, I thought of what I should eat for breakfast. About five minutes later, Bella came out dressed and ready for school.

"Y'know, there is a reason why I set my alarm clock twenty minutes after yours," I said, a bit annoyed. I liked staying underneath the spray of warm water just as much as Bella did. I think everyone agreed that showering was time for one of three things: singing, dancing, or thinking. I used my time for thinking. It was hard for me to get some decent alone time most days, so I used the shower to be alone.

Usually, Bella was downstairs and eating breakfast by the time I got up; it was a sort of ritual of ours to avoid each other in the mornings. She made her way into her bedroom and started rummaging through one of her drawers. I followed her and leaned up against the doorframe.

"Is there a reason why you took so long this morning? And why are you searching for something as if it will save your life?"

"What are you talking about Toni?" she asked while rolling her eyes. She moved towards the mirror on the other side of her room and started moving her hand in front of her face. I stepped closer to her to see what she was doing and sighed in frustration when I realized she was putting on mascara. Bella never put on makeup. The only time she did that was when she liked someone.

"You have got to be kidding me," I mumbled. "You're seriously doing this for Edward? Do you not remember what happened the last time you went gaga over a boy who didn't have the same feelings as you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about Toni," she said. "I'm doing this for myself, and myself only."

"Okay, I can accept that," I said calmly, "if you were being honest." Still determined, she went back in her make-up drawer and brought out some eyeshadow.

"So, you're against makeup now? Or are you against me doing what I want? When we were younger, you told me to do what I wanted instead of doing what I was told to do. Now that I am, you're yelling at me?" she asked incredulously. She glared furiously at the mirror and continued to apply her blue eyeshadow.

"I'm not against makeup, Bella, you know that. I can't be happy for you when you're repeating a past mistake," I countered while trying to remain calm. Bella was making me frustrated. I was still trying to wake up, and I didn't feel like arguing. Last time we had a morning argument, about a year ago, I snapped on her and we didn't talk for about two weeks. During those two weeks, we avoided each other as much as possible and the atmosphere around us was tense and uncomfortable. It wasn't until our mom made me apologize that we made up.

"What, so it's not okay for me to go after a guy I like?" she asked as she firmly planted her hands on her denim-covered hips and faced me. Now that I had a good look at her, her outfit was pretty much the same. The only difference was that she was wearing a blouse instead of a plain long-sleeved shirt, and she was wearing a few accessories for a change.

"You can like a guy and chase him, Bella, but if he makes it clear that he doesn't like you like Edward did, then you need to stop."

"It's not like we even carried a conversation. All he did was glare at me!" she shouted as she threw her hands in the air. "How am I supposed to know how he feels about me if he doesn't talk?"

"I think he made himself very clear when he glared viciously at you," I said. I immediately felt bad about my words when her eyes showed hurt and she frowned even more. I mussed my hair up in a quick motion and wiped my hands down my face.

"Look, I understand Bella, but maybe he's going through some things. Alice told me he was visiting some family up in Alaska. She also said that the rest of them would be going up there on Friday right after school for the weekend. One of their relatives died," I said sadly. It made me want to cry when I saw the heartbroken expression on their faces. It was like their entire world had ended.

Edward Cullen had disappeared from school on Friday two weeks ago. A few days after his disappearance, Alice, surprisingly, invited me to sit at their table. Every one of them greeted me nicely and asked me how my first day went and how I was getting used to the change in my surroundings. When I was finally brave enough to, I asked about Edward. All of them noticeably stiffened at my question, but it was Alice who had relaxed and told me that Esme's mom had died. Even though all of them weren't related to her, they were very close.

"Let me get this straight," she started. Her makeup was done and she was sitting on her desk chair to put on a pair of socks.

"Because he is suffering from a loss, it gives him the right to be rude and disrespectful to everyone?"

"No. It means he can be rude towards girls who stare at him, girls who try to flirt with him, and boys who always talk shit about him and his family," I said flatly.

"Whatever, Toni. You always think you're above everyone else, but you're not!" she yelled while stepping towards me.

"I'm just trying to help you, Bella. Maybe if you made better choices, I wouldn't have to!" I shouted back.

"And you know so much about good choices, don't you," she said slyly. She took another step in my direction and I took a step back to create distance between us.

"Stop while you're ahead of yourself Bella," I warned her while glaring. This only seemed to anger her more.

"You know what's so funny? You're not too perfect either!" she shouted while walking until she was directly in front of me.

"I never said I was perfect. I know I'm far from it. At least I can admit it."

My tone was deadly and calm all at once, seeming to scare Bella. Still, she kept her tough girl act up.

"You act like it!"

"How? How Bella?! Please enlighten me!"

"You always make it seem like I'm beneath you! I'm sick and tired of feeling like I'm the equivalent of dirt beneath your shoes!"

"I'm sorry if you have ever felt that way, but all I tried to do was help you correct your mistakes. I never want to see you hurt like I did, Bella," I said, my voice softer than before.

"I don't need help from someone like you," she said. I frowned and tried to stop my eyes from watering as memories flooded my mind.

"You swore you would never bring it up again," I said through gritted teeth.

"How is Nathan? I haven't heard from him in a while," she said, ignoring me.

"Leave it alone Bella! Doing this isn't going to give you any more satisfaction than you have now."

"I heard he was in an accident. Y'know-"

"I said shut up!" I yelled at her. In frustration, I swiped all her things off one of her nightstands and watched in pleasure as several items connected with the floor and broke.

"Why would you do that?!"

Bella started freaking out and told me to stop, but I couldn't. The images that flew across my eyes were too distracting, too frightening to focus on my actions. Tears sprung to my eyes as I couldn't contain my emotions any longer. Out of nowhere, Bella took hold of my shoulders and started pushing me out of her room. I resisted her advancements and tried to stand my ground, but I wasn't in the right mind to do so. My body felt numb as she pushed me farther back until my body felt weightless. I felt like I was flying for a few seconds until my body hit a solid surface and I tumbled down. My eyes widened with fear as I realized she had pushed me down the stairs. I let out a scream before my head connected with a step and I blacked out. The last thing I heard was my dad yelling.

* * *

**Third P.O.V.**

Sitting downstairs on his sofa, Charlie Swan was watching the news. He was already dressed, so he decided to sit and relax before a stressful day at work. On the TV, a news anchor was talking about a child that went missing in Seattle, which led him to wonder where his own children were. Toni was usually in the shower now, and Bella was usually in the kitchen making breakfast. He listened for the sound of water running, and instead received the sound of his daughters talking. It brought a smile to his face.

It made Charlie happy to know that his daughters were finally getting along. They were always arguing and fighting when they were around him. Even as kids they fought, which was cute then but now was tiring. Maybe they finally settled their differences. As that thought crossed his mind, he started to hear raised voices.

Oh boy.

He shook his head in disappointment. What he wouldn't give for his daughters to be civil towards each other for more than a few hours. As they continued to fight, he started to worry. He heard Toni yell at Bella, a crash, and Bella yell in response to something Toni did. Worried, he rushed to his feet and began to make his way towards the steps. He stopped, though, when he heard a scream and saw a body roll down the stairs.

"Toni!" he yelled. He rushed forward and held her unconscious body in his arms. He looked up as he heard his oldest daughter approach the top of the stairs. She had a look of shock across her features, as well as a bit of guilt. She ran down the stairs and knelt next to her dad and her unconscious sister.

"Is she okay?" she asked frantically. She hadn't planned on pushing her down the stairs; she just wanted Toni out of her bedroom and away from her so she wouldn't do any more damage. Though she felt empowered in a sick sort of way, Bella was very concerned about her sister's health.

"What happened?" Charlie asked Bella.

"I don't know! We were arguing and then I- I said something that must have upset Toni. She went ballistic and shoved my stuff off one of my dressers! I pushed her away from me and she started to fall."

"We are going to talk about all of this when we get back from the hospital," he said firmly to Bella. She meekly nodded her head and lowered her head in guilt. Charlie sighed and stood up with Toni in his arms. His legs shook from the dead weight he had to carry, but he persevered through it. He made his way towards the front door and out into the front yard. He yelled for Bella to grab the keys and put Toni in the backseat. Bella came rushing out of the house and handed him the keys. Charlie drove off in a rush, leaving Bella standing in the driveway.


	6. 6

**FIVE YEARS AGO - Third P.O.V.**

"Hi, I'm Toni. What's your name?"

A 12-year-old girl with long, black hair and big, blue eyes was standing beside a blue, rounded cafeteria table. The table had only one occupant; a boy about thirteen years old with curly, auburn hair and deep brown eyes. He had a set of glasses upon his face that was black and rounded, and light freckles dusted his cheeks. He was on the thin side and wore an orange and white striped shirt with dark-washed jeans and sneakers.

He looked up and met her gaze but immediately diverted his eyes. He wasn't comfortable enough to keep constant eye contact with people, so he often talked to people while looking down.

"M-My name i-is Nathan," he stuttered softly; so softly that Toni could barely hear it.

"May I sit with you?" Toni asked. She had seen Nathan around the school in the hallways. He was a shy kid and very self-conscious, but he was smart, the smartest of the class, and seemed to be very nice. The only problem was that most of the school picked on him. Toni would always saw him getting thrown into lockers or being insulted by other kids their age. On multiple occasions, Toni had wanted to step in, but she was afraid of what people would say or do to her. She supposed it was quite selfish, but that's what you would expect from a 12-year-old. The teachers barely did anything about it, though they witnessed it quite often. The only thing they did was tell the students to "move along."

It made Toni sad to see Nathan sitting by himself at lunch all the time. A few times, she had wanted to go over there and sit with him, even mentioned it the table of people she sat with; she wouldn't call them friends because she didn't trust anyone and they tended to be mean to others. The only person she did trust was Amanda and her sister, but they had separate lunches and her sister, Bella, never wanted to sit by Toni. The first lunch of the school year had made Toni nervous, as she didn't have anyone to talk to, and she didn't want to sit by herself, so she opted to sit with a random group of people, whom of which didn't even care if she sat there or not.

The day she mentioned sitting with Nathan, they immediately started making a big fuss about it. They told Toni that she would be put out as an outcast; that she would be the female version of Nathan and would most likely be bullied, too. She didn't count that as something bad, but she didn't want to be as lonely as Nathan seemed to be. As each day went by, though, Toni found it harder and harder to watch people bully Nathan and watch him wallow in his self-pity. About a month later, she'd seen enough, and no amount of complaint from her daily table and her fear could stop her.

"U-Umm, s-sure," Nathan stuttered out. To his dismay, she took the seat beside him on his left. Nathan had been bullied by people his whole life. It wasn't just at school, but at home as well. His mother was a drunk who always came home late at night and made enough noise to wake the neighbors. She would get mad in her drunken stupor and lash out at Nathan. When it was verbal, it consisted of stories about his failure of a dad and how Nathan was going to end up just like his father, which led Nathan to curl up in a ball and cry the rest of the night. The few times that it was physical, his mother would hit him and create bruises all over his face and cuts on his arms when he would protect his face from the flying debris that came from her bottle. This led to Nathan spending the whole night cowering and shaking in fear.

His older brother, Josh, was mean to him, as well. He would always pick on his size; always said he was too scrawny and compared him to a toothpick most of the time. Nathan was a small kid. He was shorter than most of the kids at school, including the girls, and he looked like a walking stick figure. Josh, who was the quarterback for their high school football team, would tell Nathan that the only way he would make it in life was if he was a star athlete. Nathan thought that that was dumb advice because you wouldn't always have a hot, sculpted body. Besides, Nathan was very smart and relied on his brain for most things, so more often than not, he ignored his brother's advice. It still ate at his conscience to know that he had no support from his family, though.

He grew up with a lot of negative interactions and emotions, so imagine his discomfort when a girl walked up to him and asked to sit with him. He was nervous, especially so because of their proximity.

"So....." he heard the girl, Toni, say. He looked up at her and saw she was contemplating something. When her eyes met his, he blushed and looked down again.

"Why does no one like you?" he heard Toni ask. He looked up surprised and astonished that she would ask that question.

It had been bugging Toni while she sat there. Why would someone not like Nathan? He was too shy and timid to be mean, and he wasn't annoyingly talkative.

"I-I don't know," she heard Nathan reply.

"I mean, you seem nice, and you're really smart in class. You don't pick on people or say anything nasty about anyone. I don't get it," Toni finished with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Oh. Well, I-thank you," Nathan said. He wasn't used to compliments, so he was a bit befuddled and didn't know how to continue. They sat in silence for a while, neither knowing how to talk to the other.

Toni looked up at Nathan and saw he was looking down at his lap. Even though most of his face was hidden, she could still see the emotion in his eyes.

Even though Nathan had his head hung down, he could still feel the scrutiny of Toni's eyes. He couldn't lie to himself and say he wasn't a bit hopeful and happy that someone came over to talk to him. He was hoping they would become friends, though he would never admit that in fear of rejection. The bell rang signaling the end of lunch. With a sigh, he started gathering his things and shoved them in his bookbag. He looked up and saw that Toni was still seated and wasn't sure how to proceed next. He was going to say something but immediately rejected the idea. He turned around to head to math class but stopped when she spoke.

"Do you want to be friends, Nathan?"

He couldn't believe his ears! Did someone want to be his friend? He met her gaze and studied her, looking for any dangerous intentions. Her hand was stretching outwards, waiting for him to shake it and her face was expressionless. The only emotion he could see was in her eyes, and it was all genuine. He silently debated it with himself for a few seconds before giving her an answer.

If he did accept her offer and it went well, he could finally have a friend, but if it ended badly, he wouldn't know if he could take it. If he rejected the offer, he would probably beat himself up about it later.

He met her gaze again and hesitantly smiled, which earned him a big smile in return.

"Friends," he agreed and shook her hand.


	7. 7

**Toni's P.O.V.**

_Uh. What happened?_

I felt myself awaken to pain all over my body. I was confused and wanted to move, but my body was not complying. I tried opening my eyes, but they felt heavy and stuck together. I gave up a few seconds later in frustration and grumbled in my head. I made sure I could at least wiggle my fingers and toes and was happy with the results I got. I heard a beeping noise coming from my left, and I felt something poking me in my hand. The room smelled like cleaning supplies, and the room was bright behind my eyelids. I heard a door open to my right and someone walk towards me. I tried opening my eyes again, which alerted my visitor.

"Toni, are you awake?"

It was my father's voice.

I finally pried my eyes open and squinted when the bright light met my eyes. Suddenly, it was gone and replaced by my dad's face. His face was full of relief and he looked a bit tired. I smiled at him and in reply, he shook his head and let out a strangled cry of relief. He left my side and went over to a counter that was situated on the other side of the room. He brought over a small cup filled with water. I sat up as best as I could on my own and supplied my dry throat with water.

"What happened, dad?" I asked him.

"You got into an argument with Bella and fell down the stairs," he said quietly.

"Oh," I said. I couldn't think of anything else to say as the memory of the argument came back. There were a few pieces that seemed to be missing, but I remembered the gist of it. I lowered my head in shame as I remembered how I had acted.

"What happened, Toni? Bella gave her side of the story, but I wanted to hear yours, too."

I sighed and stayed quiet for a bit. My head was pounding and my body felt sore from laying down all day. My ankle was throbbing badly, too.

"I don't know, dad," I said. "Bella was trying to be something she wasn't this morning and I tried to tell her to just be herself. She got mad that I was butting into her life, and she said some things that upset me."

"What was wrong with Bella yesterday morning?"

"She was trying to doll herself up to impress some boy at school. Wait, yesterday? I've been unconscious for an entire day?"

"Yeah, kiddo. Now, which boy?" dad asked gruffly.

"Edward Cullen."

"Carlisle's boy?"

I assumed that this Doctor Carlisle was the miraculous doctor who moved here with the Cullens, so I nodded my head.

"Well, what was so wrong with that?" he asked confused. I sighed as I had forgotten that he knew nothing of what Bella did to Greyson a few years back. I recounted what happened, and my dad huffed out a breath of surprise and exasperation. He shook his head and lowered it.

"I just didn't want her to make the same mistake again, dad. Bella gets hurt easily, whether she shows it or not," I told him.

"I'm glad you tried to step in. Lord only knows what would have happened if she ended up in that situation again. Carlisle is a nice man and a good friend."

He stayed silent for a minute, then said, "I grounded Bella for a few days. I know she didn't mean to push you down the stairs, but what she did wasn't right. We're going to talk later about the way you've been treating each other."

I bit my lip and quietly said, "I'm sorry."

"I know you are, Toni. I just don't want to have to listen to the two of you argue every day," he said tiredly.

"We don't argue every day," I mumbled and childishly crossed my arms. The hand my IV was in hurt just a bit and my side hurt, but I was too stubborn to care. I stayed in that position for a while until I started to realize that maybe he was right. Bella and I argued more times than I realized. Dad worked crazy hours at the station, so it was no surprise he was fed up with our antics.

The door swung open and in walked a doctor. He was an older gentleman with snow-white hair and a big smile. He had a doctor's coat on and a clipboard in his hand. He took the papers from the clipboard and placed them on the x-ray board.

"Hello, Toni. I am Dr. Snow. How are you feeling?"

"Pretty beat up," I replied.

"How so?"

"My head hurts bad and my ribs are aching. My ankle is throbbing, too."

"That's to be expected. Look here," he said as he shone a light in my eyes. I did as I was told and was relieved when he finished as my eyes were still sensitive. He murmured something and wrote on his clipboard.

"If you don't mind me asking, where is Carlisle?" my dad asked him.

"Ah, Doctor Cullen got held up with an emergency so I took his place."

"Doctor Cullen? You mean the new doctor in town?" I asked them. I had never seen the doctor, nor his wife, so I was curious as to what they looked like. Did they look as inhumane as their adopted kids?

"Well, Miss Swan, you took quite a lot of damage," Dr. Snow reported.

"How bad am I doc?"

"You have a sprained ankle and a slight concussion. You also have some bruising along your ribs. You were lucky."

Charlie scoffed at the idea of me being lucky and murmured to himself. I smiled at him and then looked at the doctor.

"How long will it take me to heal?"

"Well," he said, "your ankle should heal in a few days, a week at the most. The amount of time it takes for your concussion to heal is up to you. It could take days, weeks, or months."

I groaned in frustration. I hated being injured because it meant I would be dependent on others. My face scrunched up and I stared at the wall. This was just great.

"You need to rest for the next week and you need to take it easy for the next couple of months."

"But I have school! I just started a couple of weeks ago!"

"I understand that, but you must take care of your health. Now, you need to limit the amount of time you spend on electronics, including the TV, your laptop, and your phone. Elevate your ankle when you lay down and ice it twice a day," he ordered me. "Your father is going to need to monitor you in your sleep, as well. For the next couple of days, he needs to wake you up every few hours."

"Great," I murmured.

When dad and I got home from the hospital, I jumped up the stairs on my left foot with the help of my dad and laid on my bed. My right foot was elevated by a pillow and my dad placed a bag of ice on top of it.

"I have to get back to the station, but I want you to call me if anything happens," he informed me.

"Okay. Before you go, can you get me a glass of water and a sandwich? I won't be able to hop down the stairs and I might get hungry while you're gone."

"Sure thing, kiddo."

He ran downstairs and came back up with a glass of water in one hand and a ham and cheese sandwich in the other. I thanked him for the items before he left. Now that I was alone, I was left with just my thoughts. I hated being alone, especially when I was immobile. I remember once when I broke my elbow during one of my summer visits, I had to wear a sling and I was left at home by myself. I had wanted to make some food, but I couldn't reach the can. I got so frustrated that I started crying. I felt so embarrassed when my dad found me in that state after he got home from work.

I never understood why I got so embarrassed when my dad saw me cry. He was always there for me when I needed him; he was my shoulder to cry on. He was always supportive of me and was always giving me great advice. I recalled how a few days ago, my dad heard me having a bad dream and comforted me. I was so distraught, yet he helped me through it.

_ **\---------------------** _

_"Hey, hey. It's just a dream, Toni," Charlie said softly as he gently woke her up. He had heard his youngest daughter moving restlessly in her sleep and was concerned. He knew she still had dreams about the incident, but he had foolish hope that they would go away. He still felt a tinge of guilt when he witnessed her having them. He hated what had happened to his youngest daughter, as he knew something had changed in her when she stopped calling him every week, but he never mentioned it to Renee. He came up with petty excuses like, 'she's just hanging out with her friends' or 'she's growing up and needs more space from her parents' to ease his worry, but he never thought that his daughter's new personality would be caused by drugs. When he found out, he swore he had felt his heartbreak into a million pieces. Looking at her at that moment killed him; she just looked so helpless and fragile lying on her bed._

_"Dad?" she croaked out as tears leaked out of her eyes._

_"I'm here, kiddo," he said. He pulled her into his embrace and rubbed her back in a comforting way. He let her cry on his shoulder and waited until her cries turned into little hiccups._

_"Another bad dream?"_

_Toni nodded her head. Toni looked down towards her comforter with hopelessness as she remembered what happened in her dream. If almost every dream she had brought him up, how was she supposed to forget?_

_"Toni?"_

_She looked up at the sound of her father's voice._

_Charlie sighed and said, "I thought we had gotten past this, Toni. I understand that your experience was very traumatic, but I thought it got better after talking to that counselor."_

_"It did get better, dad. I thought I had it under control. I was hoping to forget the whole thing," Toni said meekly._

_"Toni," Charlie scolded his daughter. "You can't just forget something that has happened to you. If you do that, you'll feel worse about the situation and yourself. The only thing you can do is try to get past it and learn from your mistakes."_

_Toni looked in her father's eyes and saw support and love in them. She looked down and back up._

_"OK, dad," she whispered._

_Charlie let out a breath of relief and pulled Toni into another hug._

_"Get some sleep, kiddo," Charlie said as he left her bedroom and went back to bed._

**\--------------------**

I turned on my television and tried to focus on it, but my mind kept wandering to other things. I missed my friends from Pheonix; I missed Mandy. I picked up my phone and scrolled down to her name. I bit my lip and hesitated to press the call button. I counted to three in my head and pressed the button. It rang for a few seconds before someone picked up.

_"Hello?"_

My breathing hitched as I recognized Mandy's voice. She repeated her greeting once more and I scrambled to think of something to say.

"Hey, Mandy. It's me, Toni," I rushed out. I held my breath when she didn't reply. My hands were sweating and the one holding the phone clenched tightly around the device like it was a lifesaver.

_"What do you want?"_ she asked venomously. _"What could you possibly want?"_

"I wanted to see how you were doing," I answered. My throat dried up and I took a sip of water to soothe it.

_"I thought I told you to never talk to me again,"_ she said quietly.

"I know, but I miss you. Maybe I can visit sometime?" I asked hopefully. "We can have a slumber party like we used to and catch up."

_"Don't act like you did nothing. Don't act like nothing happened!"_ she shouted. I heard her breathe hard and I waited with bated breath. I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to act like nothing happened; just wanted to talk to an old friend. I wanted to know if she forgave me yet. I was stupid for being naive.

_"Lose my number, Toni. I've said it before and I stand by what I said. Don't talk to me ever again."_

The dial tone filled my ears and I curled in on myself. I placed my phone on my bedside table and pulled the covers over my body. I closed my eyes and prayed my dreams would treat me better than reality.

* * *

**FOUR YEARS AGO - Third P.O.V.**

_"Hey, Nathan," Toni yelled. It was her thirteenth birthday and she was having a party at the local park. Because she was born a summer baby, she had the privilege of hot outside parties and lots of cold water._

_The only people she wanted to invite were Mandy, Nathan, and of course her family, but her mom had insisted she invite more. It was hard to decide who she liked at her school because many of her classmates were mean. Because she couldn't figure out who to invite, her mom made her invite all the kids in her homeroom. There ended up being twenty kids, and she was happy to see that they were leaving Nathan alone._

_"Hey T," Nathan smiled as one of his best friends came up to him soaking wet and sat on his right. His other best friend, Mandy, was sitting to his left. They were sitting at a picnic table that was covered with a tub of ketchup, Huggies, and plates filled with hotdogs. When he first met Mandy, he was very guarded and shy. Amanda Baker was outgoing and energetic; she always spoke her mind, and it was that quality that made him enjoy her company so much._

_"Why are you guys over here? Don't you want to join the war," Toni asked. In the middle of the park was a large group of kids divided into two sides throwing colorful water balloons at each other._

_"You know why, Toni," Nathan said solemnly. Toni frowned and her eyebrows scrunched together. She went to say something when Mandy spoke._

_"Besides, we were about to play tag." Amanda was just trying to lighten the mood, but she could see that it was too tense._

_"They haven't said anything yet, Nathan, and I doubt they will, what with all the parents here," Toni said quietly._

_"Keyword: yet."_

_Toni sighed and looked at Mandy. "Please tell him I'm right," she practically begged._

_But Mandy wasn't paying attention to her friend. She was looking at the small group of boys coming their way. Toni turned her head the way Mandy was looking and paled slightly. She was hoping, praying even, that this wouldn't happen._

_At the head of the group was a boy with shaggy, blonde hair and green eyes. He was walking next to four other boys._

_"Hey, little Nate."_

_"Greyson," Toni warned. She wasn't in the mood for his immature taunts. Greyson looked over at the blue-eyed girl._

_"Shut it, Swan. I wasn't talking to you."_

_He turned his eyes to Nathan and scoffed. He didn't understand what was so appealing to the two girls. Nathan was small, shorter than most of the school, and scrawny. He was a geek, a nerd. He was always alone when Toni and Amanda weren't there, and he always walked with his head down._

_"So, Nathan. How goes everything," he taunted._

_"U-Umm. I-I d-don't-"_

_"C-c-can you t-talk n-n-normal," Greyson mocked him. His 'friends' laughed and started pushing Nathan around. This alarmed the girls, making them shoot out of their seats and scream at them to stop._

_"Leave him alone!"_

_"He didn't do anything to you!"_

_"Mandy, go get the adults!"_

_At the sound of Toni's request, Mandy ran towards the group of distracted parents. Meanwhile, Toni tried to pry the boys off her friend. She tried her hardest, but the boys were too big. She stopped and looked down and around, and stopped when the tub of ketchup caught her eyes. She smirked and grabbed it. Amanda, along with the parents, started towards them. When they got there, they easily pried the boys off Nathan._

_Now that Nathan was exposed, Toni could see that he had a bruise around the outside of his left eye and a cut on his lip. This angered her and set her off._

_She yelled, "Hey Greyson!" and watched as he turned around and met a stream of ketchup. She laughed loudly as she squirted the red condiment all over his clothes and unsuspecting face. She looked over to her hurt friend and smiled fondly as she saw the small smile on his face. She didn't care if she got in trouble, she just didn't want people hurting her friends._

* * *

**Toni's P.O.V.**

I was pulled out of my slumber when I heard the front door open and slam close. I glanced at the alarm clock and figured it was Bella. I heard her run up the stairs and stop in front of my door. Without knocking, she pushed open my door and stood in the doorway with a smug look on her face.

"Hey, Toni," she greeted gleefully.

"Uh, hey Bella. What's up?" I asked, confused. Although Bella was smart and social, she rarely enjoyed going to school. She always complained about excessive homework and boring classes taught by boring teachers. Even when she had a semi-good day at school, she was grumpy.

"Oh, nothing much. Just had a conversation with a certain Cullen today," Bella said smugly.

"Edward talked to you? Did he apologize?"

"Well, kind of, but he was so polite today in Biology. I think we hit it off."

I felt my stomach churn and an unfamiliar emotion surfaced. I frowned as I identified it as jealousy. I had no idea why I was jealous. I never had a lengthy conversation with Edward, had never talked to him for more than a few minutes. He was handsome, yes, but looks weren't everything. I had based my previous relationship solely off of looks and it got me nowhere.

I shouldn't feel jealous or envious given the fact that his siblings didn't really like Bella. Even though Bella had never officially met them, every time I mentioned her name, they grimaced or tried changing the subject. Rosalie hated Bella and glared holes into her whenever they were in the same room. Alice was less giddy around her, and Jasper and Emmett were indifferent. When it came to Toni, they were all smiles.

Rosalie had been the hardest to crack; she was averse to me sitting with them at first. I don't know what changed, but one day, she started including me when she talked and smiling at me. Jasper was still wary around me, but I was able to converse with him from time to time. Emmett and Alice welcomed me from the beginning, so I had no problem with them. I was delighted to have the Cullens' approval before Bella. Usually, it was the other way around.

I sat there and listened to Bella talk about how wonderful Edward was and rested my head against the headboard. I didn't know why she was so hyper about it. It wasn't like he proposed or anything. As Bella droned on and on, I wondered if she brought my schoolwork home. Her voice started to grate on my nerves and I hoped she would leave soon. Unfortunately, she tortured me with her words until dad came back home. As soon as she left my room, I sunk into my bed. I was tired of resting, but after Bella, I was ready to sleep once again.


	8. 8

**Bella's P.O.V.**

I was happily and nervously eating lunch. Across the cafeteria sat the Cullens, including Edward. He was laughing with his siblings as the big one, Emmett, shook his snow-covered hair towards his sister and his girlfriend. It was the first snowfall of the new year and everyone was enjoying it except me. I scowled the whole way to lunch and evaded snowballs to the best of my ability. I hated the snow, and what happened yesterday certainly didn't help my mood. Charlie grounded me for accidentally pushing Toni down the stairs. I didn't even mean to do it, yet I was being punished!

I examined Edward and noticed something was different. He was less pale and the circles under his eyes were less noticeable. There was something else that seemed off about him, but I wasn't sure what it was. I continued to stare, going so far as to squint my eyes in concentration.

"Bella, what are you staring at?" Jessica asked. I internally swore at Jessica as Edward's eyes flashed over to meet mine. I tried to make it look like I wasn't staring at him, but I dropped my head and let my hair conceal my face. I didn't want him to know I was staring at him.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you," Jessica giggled in my ear.

"He doesn't look angry, does he?"

"No. Should he be?" Jessica asked confused.

"I don't think he likes me," I confessed. I was embarrassed for having to say that. Edward was such a good-looking guy, and I felt like a loser. I dropped my head to the table and hid it in the crook of my arm.

"The Cullens don't like anybody. Well, they don't notice anybody enough to like them, but he's still staring at you."

"Stop looking at him," I hissed. Jessica snickered but looked away. I smiled on the inside of my arm. I was finally getting his attention. The bell rang and I threw my lunch away before I headed to Biology class. Edward was already in his seat when I entered the classroom. I sat in my chair and pulled out the materials I would need for class.

"Hello."

I was startled as I heard his quiet, musical voice speak to me. I was doodling in my notebook, waiting for class to start when he spoke. His voice was like velvet: smooth and gentle and unlike any voice I had ever encountered. It added to his attractive character.

I was stunned, to say the least, that he was talking to me. Just a few weeks ago, he was glaring at me like I was a danger to everyone in the room/ I was excited If I talked with him, I knew I could get him to like me. When I looked up to meet his eyes, I was disappointed. He was sitting as far away from me as our biology desk allowed. His hair was dripping wet from the rain that was coming down in buckets outside, and all of his facial features except his eyes expressed friendliness; his eyes were careful.

"My name is Edward Cullen," he continued. "I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan."

He spoke so well, unlike the other boys that attended Forks High School. It was refreshing to listen to, but it made me feel like I was speaking with royalty. I had planned to execute the whole 'act natural' thing, had it planned since lunch, but he completely threw me off.

"H-how do you know my name?" I stuttered out to my embarrassment. I cursed myself internally and my face changed to a red hue. Edward shifted uncomfortably in his seat and cleared his throat.

"I think everyone knows your name. The whole town has been waiting for you and your sister to arrive."

I grimaced and soured at the mention of Toni. It was still unfair what happened yesterday.

"Right, both of us," I muttered quietly. "No," I continued, "I meant, why did you call me Bella?"

Edward looked at me like he was perplexed by the content of my words. It was a fair question as everyone in the school seemed to call me by my full name the first time they met me.

"Do you prefer Isabella?"

"No, I like Bella," I said, "but I think Charlie, I mean my dad, must call me Isabella behind my back. I already know that Toni does it a lot, but that's what everyone here seems to know me as," I tried to explain. I was a little embarrassed that I called Charlie, Charlie instead of dad in front of Edward. I was comfortable with calling him Charlie because I wasn't around him much as a child. I didn't want anyone else knowing that, though. The last thing I wanted was for people to think that I was some ingrate, especially Edward. If I wanted him, I had to change my attitude. I had to be sweet, shy, and caring.

"Oh."

Mr. Banner interrupted them to explain to the class what we would be doing. We had to collaborate with our partner and identify the stages of mitosis without using our textbook. The winners would be given a golden onion. Edward and I were given a microscope, a worksheet, and the slides containing the stages before we began the assignment.

"Ladies first, partner," Edward said. I looked up to see him smiling crookedly at me. I was so dazzled that all I could do was stare at his face like an idiot. It seemed unfair, to me at least, that he was so beautiful. I would have used handsome, but it didn't seem to serve justice to my pale biology partner.

"Or I could start if you wish," Edward said and frowned slightly. His features morphed into confusion and irritation. I didn't want him to be irritated with me, so I finally answered him.

"No," I said as my face flushed. "I'll go ahead."

I was showing off a little to impress Edward. I had already done the lab back in Phoenix and I had picked it up quite easily. I wasn't surprised that I remembered it so well and I knew that it would be too easy to impress him.

"Prophase," I said confidently.

"Do you mind if I look," Edward asked as I began to remove the slide from the 40X objective microscope. His hand caught mine as he asked, causing me to jerk back my hand. His fingers were ice-cold, abnormally so. It was like he'd been holding them in a snowdrift before class and the temperature made me uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, pulling his hand back immediately. However, he continued to reach for the microscope and examine the slide. I watched as he examined the slide for a shorter amount of time than I did and wondered if he had done the lab before, as well.

"Prophase," he agreed while writing it neatly on the first line on our worksheet. He swiftly switched out the first slide for the second and identified it as, "Anaphase."

Seeing it as an opportunity, I asked, rather flirtatiously, "May I?"

Edward smiled slightly and pushed it towards my side of the table, avoiding contact with my hand. I looked through the scope eagerly only to discover that he was right. My head dropped a little and my mouth formed into a pouted expression while I looked up at Edward through my eyelashes.

"Slide three?"

He handed me the slide and I identified it as telophase. Of course, he wanted to make sure it was right, so I slid it over to him before he asked. We did this back and forth checking until we finished. I looked around the room and saw that the other students in the class were still working. Mike, who was a few tables in front of me and Edward, had his book under the table. I snorted at this and smiled. What a doofus. I looked back at Edward and finally realized what was wrong with him at lunch.

"Did you get contacts," I blurted out unthinkingly. Edward seemed puzzled by my unexpected question and answered with, "No."

"Oh," I mumbled. "I thought there was something different about your eyes."

In fact, I knew that there was something different about his eyes. On my first day, his eyes were dark, black pools. Today, they were lighter, way lighter, and a shade of gold. This observation made me suspicious and my eyes narrowed slightly.

"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it," I heard his melodic voice say next to me. I knew he was still upset with my pointing out his eye color, so it kind of felt like he was forcing himself to make small talk with me. I felt paranoid again. It was like he had heard my conversation with Jessica at lunch and was trying to prove me wrong.

"Not really," I answered honestly. I wasn't trying to pretend to be like everyone else and sulk over the melted snow. I hated snow, so I, quite frankly, didn't care about it.

"You don't like the cold," he practically stated.

"Or the wet."

"Forks must be a difficult place for you to live," he mused.

"You have no idea," I muttered darkly. Living in Phoenix allowed me to enjoy the sun almost every day. I could sit outside with a good book and enjoy the sun without worrying whether the sun would disappear. It was an obvious difference Toni and I had. She loved the cold, wet snow and rain and loved staying indoors. I loved the hot, dry sun and laying out in the sun. It was an injustice that my skin wouldn't tan. He looked fascinated by what I said for some reason. I couldn't imagine why. Had I caught his attention by my answer?

"You and your sister seem to differ from each other," he said, almost like he was wondering why. His face was such a distraction that it took me a while to realize what he had just said.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah Toni loves the cold. Can't imagine why, though. Any cold, wet thing is just..." I stopped mid-sentence and shuddered. I could almost feel the cold that the snow would emit. When I looked up to see his reaction, it threw me off. He seemed appalled. The expression on his face made me very nervous. Had I said something wrong? Did I lose my chance with Edward? I was just being honest.

Whatever was on his mind, he seemed to discard because his facial expression neutralized. I tried to search his eyes, tried to pick up on anything, but there was no trace of his mood.

"Is your sister alright?"

That question made me suspicious. What did he want with Toni? How did he notice her absence when they had only talked once? Is she closer to the Cullens than I thought? Why was he asking questions about her when he should be asking questions about me?

"Yeah, she just had an accident," I replied. I wanted him to end the subject; to start a new one, but I guess he didn't catch on, or he didn't care, because he asked, "What happened?"

I reined in my jealousy and said, "Nothing major."

"It must be major if she isn't at school two days in a row," he insisted. His eyes smoldered and it took everything within me to not react.

"She fell down the stairs," I blurted out. His face morphed into concern. He muttered something under his breath. The only word I could pick out was 'Carlisle'. He masked his feelings again and continued to interrogate me about Toni. I didn't know much because I hadn't visited her at the hospital and he seemed to realize that when he stopped and changed the subject.

"If you hate the rain so much, why did you come here?"

No one had asked me that, not in a demanding tone, at least.

"It's... complicated," I replied. In truth, it wasn't, but I hated the thought of having to explain something personal to him, or anyone, for that matter.

"I think I can keep up," he pressed. I paused for a long moment, and then made the mistake of meeting his gaze. His dark, golden eyes entranced me and I answered without thinking.

"My mother got remarried," I said.

"That doesn't sound so complex," he disagreed, but he was suddenly sympathetic. "When did that happen?"

"Last September."

My voice sounded sad, even to me. My mother was like my best friend. She was always there for me; always there when I needed someone to talk to or needed a shoulder to cry on. She understood me like no other, but she was miles away and I was stuck in Forks with Charlie and Toni.

"And you don't like him," Edward surmised, his tone still kind.

"No, Phil's fine. A bit too young, but nice enough."

"Why didn't you and your sister stay with them?"

"He travels a lot; Phil, that is. He plays ball for a living. He doesn't play well, though. Strictly minor league. And he moves around a lot," I replied.

"And your Mother sent you two here so that she could travel with him," he assumed. I raised my chin a fraction and narrowed my eyes at him.

"No, she did not send me here. I sent myself," I said. Two things I loathed were when people assumed things about me and when people tried to make me do things. I tilted my head towards the unusual boy as I heard him say, "I don't understand." I turned my head completely when I caught the sight of his furrowed brows in my peripheral. He seemed frustrated, again.

"She stayed with me at first, but she missed him. It made her unhappy, so I decided it was time to spend some quality time with Ch- my dad." My voice was glum by the time I finished.

"But now you're unhappy," he pointed out.

"And?" I challenged.

"That doesn't seem fair."

He shrugged, but his eyes were still intense.

I laughed without humor. "Hasn't anyone ever told you that life isn't fair?"

"I believe I have heard that somewhere before," he agreed dryly.

"So that's all," I insisted, wondering why he was still staring at me that way.

"What about Toni. Did she want to move here?" he asked.

I sighed a bit roughly and said, "Yes."

"Does she like it here so far?"

"Why does it matter to you," I asked, irritated. I kept my eyes away, watching the teacher make his rounds.

He smiled and said, "That seems like a very good question, doesn't it?"

He seemed to be taunting me, and I hated him for it. I decided that that was the only answer I was going to get and started scowling at the blackboard.

"Am I annoying you?" he asked. He sounded amused. I wanted to say something that would make me seem superior, but I ended up telling him the truth.

"Not exactly. I'm more annoyed at myself. My face is so easy to read that my mother always calls me her open book."

I frowned. It was true that she could easily read the emotions that flit across my face. It was why we could freely talk to each other. I would be lying if I said he wasn't annoying me. It didn't help that his eyes were a completely different color. The flat black color of his eyes the last time he had glared at me was striking against the background of his pale skin and his auburn hair. Today, his eyes were a strange brownish-yellow color; darker than butterscotch, but with the same golden tint. I didn't understand how that could be unless he was lying for some reason about the contacts. Maybe Forks was making me crazy in the literal sense of the word.

"On the contrary, I find you very difficult to read."

I looked at him confused for a minute, but then realized what he was saying.

"You must be a good reader then," I replied.

"Usually."


	9. 9

**Toni's P.O.V.**

Monday morning was of great surprise. It was lighter outside than before, a bit clearer, somehow. I jumped out of bed and carefully walked to the window. My eyes grew in size and I smiled widely. A fine layer of snow covered the yard, the top of the Chevy, and the road. All the rain from yesterday had frozen solid, coating the pine needle trees in beautiful patterns and making the driveway slick and deadly. I was in awe at how majestic everything looked. The only downside was the driveway. No doubt, Bella and I would have trouble getting to the truck.

I stepped away from the window and got ready for school. I slipped on my skinny jeans and rolled my ankle a couple of times to gauge the pain. Although I still had to be cautious with my concussion, it wasn't mandatory to wear my ankle brace anymore. However, I felt a small bolt of pain shoot through my ankle, so I decided to wear it for a little while longer. Carefully, I made my way downstairs and into the kitchen where I knew Bella would be waiting for me. When she caught sight of me, she put her bowl in the sink grabbed the car keys, and left the room. I rolled my eyes and followed after her.l

Miraculously, I made it down the icy driveway with ease while it took Bella every ounce of her concentration to make it. She slipped and managed to cling onto the side mirror to save herself from falling. I nearly fell over from laughing so hard. That, in turn, earned me one of the meanest glares Bella could conjure up.

On the way to school, the truck had no problem with the black ice that covered the roads. Ella still drove very slowly, causing me to become impatient. The welcome sign came into view and I jumped out of the car as soon as Bella parked. Out of curiosity, I inspected the tires and noticed thin chains crisscrossed in diamond shapes enveloping the tires.

_Thank you, dad._

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a certain silver Volvo. The Cullens stood next to their car like models, like they were perfect. I knew the truth, though. No one was perfect. They were hiding something behind the facade they were selling. Sitting with them at lunch made me realize how unnatural their movements were. Every movement seemed like it was timed with precision. Even some of the comments. It was like they rehearsed what they were going to do and what they were going to say.

Edward was the only one I was unsure about. I hadn't talked to him that much and his siblings didn't talk about him. He was standing on the driver's side and was staring in my direction. From across the lot, I couldn't see what kind of expression was on his face, but it was like he was concentrating on something hard. Alice, who was standing next to a certain history fanatic, was waving me over frantically. I shook my head and smiled slightly before I turned to Bella and told her of my plans.

"I'm going to say hi to the Cullens, so I won't be able to help you cross the parking lot," I said with a smirk as I recalled her morning fall.

Bella scowled at me and said, "I don't need-"

A loud, high-pitched screeching noise interrupted what she was saying. I looked to see a dark blue van skidding wildly across the lot. The projected target was the back corner of the Chevy, right where a frozen Bella was standing. I panicked and adrenaline rushed through my veins. I had to save Bella. Dad would be heartbroken to lose a daughter and the guilt of not doing anything would eat away at my conscience.

I ran towards Bella and managed to push her some feet back. Just as I pushed Bella, I felt something hard hit me. I fell and my head cracked against the icy blacktop. Something solid and cold pinned me to the ground as I struggled to remain conscious. I opened my eyes and saw the van curl around the end of the truck and meet two long, white hands. The van, which had a large dent decorating it, shuddered to a stop a foot from my face. At the same time, something gripped me underneath and swung my legs around until they hit the car. My ankle was engulfed in pain and I cried out. The van settled and glass popped onto the asphalt where my legs had been a second ago.

Everything was silent.

Then, screams were heard and my name was being called. I looked up to thank my savior, but my head was reeling from the impact. I was dizzy, but somehow I was still able to recognize the person who had helped me.

_Edward!_

"Edward?"

Both of us, Edward and I, looked up to see Bella standing in front of us. She was holding her head and looking at us with disbelief, something I was feeling towards everything that had just happened. My head was hurting badly and I knew that the hit my had took was not good. The doctor told me to be careful with my head for the next couple of weeks, yet I took a hit within a few days of my stay in the hospital. I was hoping that I didn't mess my head up again, but I knew that I did. I felt too dizzy and my head hurt too much. I groaned as I realized that my sleep was going to be interrupted yet again.

Edward was still holding me down and even though I usually liked the cold, I was too cold. The chill of the snow and ice was seeping through my clothes and Edward's cold body didn't help. I was beginning to grow uncomfortable in the position I was in, so I started to push Edward off me.

"Stop, Toni," he said.

"I'm cold, Edward," I whined.

"I know. Just stay put," he ordered me. I huffed out a breath and did as he said. I reached up to touch my head but was stopped by another hand. I immediately knew it was Edward and I huffed again. I tried to touch my head once more, but he stopped me again.

"Edward stop!" I yelled. My head was pounding from the injury and all the screaming I was doing. I tried to sit up, but he was still holding me against the side of his body. I started struggling in his arms until he finally got the point. He unwound his arms from around me and stood up. He grabbed ahold of me and helped me stand up.

"Be careful," he warned as I struggled to stand. "I think you hit your head pretty hard."

"No shit, Edward," I said. I wasn't trying to be mean, I was just tired of getting injured. I hated hospitals more than I hated being hot. It was the smell, the cheery nurses, and the things they pricked you with that made me uneasy to go when I was hurt. When I was little, getting one shot took twice as long.

"How did you...?" Bella trailed off. I looked up at her and saw the surprise and astonishment on her face. She looked confused and a little bit on the edge of crazy. I didn't blame her. I felt like I was crazy about what I just saw.

"How did you get over here so fast?" Bella asked. I wondered that, too. He was standing with his family seconds before the van came flying through here, and there was no way he ran over here in time to save me. It wasn't possible and it wasn't humane.

"I was standing right next to you two," he said seriously. I looked at his concerned, innocent expression and was a little disoriented by the force of his golden eyes. I blinked my eyes a couple of times and shook my head, resulting in major pain.

_Why was he lying?_

Then, I heard people shouting and screaming. One of them yelled for someone to grab Tyler out of the van while others shouted to help Bella and me. There was a flurry of activity and noise around us and I wanted it to stop. I placed my hands over my ears and tried to stop the noise from evading my eardrums. For the most part, it worked, but I could still hear people shouting and screaming. Bella was still accusing Edward, though her voice was muffled.

"You were over there. You were by your car."

"No, I wasn't."

"I saw you."

"Bella, I was standing with you, and I pulled Toni out of the way."

"No."

"Please, Bella."

"Why?"

"Oh, Bella. Just let it go," I mumbled as I glared at her. "This isn't the time to be playing 21 questions."

She made a sound in the back of her throat in protest and glared right back at me.

"I was asking one-"

"-question about a hundred times," I finished for her. "If you haven't noticed, we were seconds away from ker-splatting all over the parking lot. I hit my head hard, not to mention my ankle is throbbing like a bitch. If you'd kindly _shut up_, then it'd be much appreciated."

Edward grimaced, probably because of my wording, and then looked at us. He pleaded for us to trust him, to take his word and not say anything more. I wholeheartedly agreed to keep my mouth shut. I may not have known him that well, but the rest of his family were my friends. Besides, it wasn't really my business.

Of course, not everyone was on board.

* * *

They pushed Bella and me through the hospital doors on a gurney. I felt ridiculous and very insecure. I didn't like too much attention on me and that was how it felt as we rolled down the hallway. We passed the room Tyler was put in and I heard an "I'm sorry!" as we were put into the room next to his. They wheeled me away to X-ray my head and my ankle and left Bella in the room to wait for her turn. I anxiously and patiently waited until they were done.

As soon as they parked me back in the room, I elevated myself into a sitting position and closed my eyes. I heard Bella protesting as she was taken back to get her X-ray done, causing me to giggle a bit. After my giggling settled down, I breathed deeply and relaxed as I realized I was finally alone. I only had a few minutes to myself, though, because suddenly, it felt like someone was staring at me. When I opened my blue eyes, I saw Edward standing at the bottom of the hospital bed. We stared at each other for a while in silence.

_What did he want to say? Is it about the accident?_

His expression darkened and he breathed in deeply.

"Are you alright?" he asked me. I tilted my head back and forth, deciding on what I wanted to say.

"Well, judging by my raging migraine, I'd say I was okay, maybe a little hungry."

"I'm being serious, Toni," he said as he moved towards me. His eyes burned with worry and his hair looked like he ran his fingers through it too many times.

I sighed and looked away from him. Why did he care? It wasn't like I was important to him. We had maybe two or three conversations tops, and though I may have felt some sort of connection when we met, he hadn't done anything to acknowledge anything back. It was completely frustrating beyond belief.

"I'm fine Edward."

He looked at me like he didn't believe me. He sat down in the chair seated next to me and looked me over. I took that opportunity to do the same. He didn't look inhumane, but then again, he did. His impeccable beauty and his flawless speech were hard not to notice. He spoke as though he was from a different century and it intrigued me. He didn't seem to be worried about the things boys did nowadays; he was the perfect gentleman. Whoever said chivalry was dead, obviously had never met Edward. That still didn't sway the fact that he, somehow, got over to where we were so fast, though. My head hurt from thinking about it and I clutched it in my hand. As if he could sense where my thoughts were going, his mouth frowned.

"How did you do it, Edward?" I asked him quietly and slowly. I wanted an answer, but if he didn't want to give one to me, I wasn't going to push too much.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, acting like he had no clue. That frustrated me to no end, so I sat a little straighter, turned my hardened expression towards his, and said, "All I need is an answer. If it's 'I can't tell you' or 'leave it alone' I'll accept that, but only those two for your indecisiveness."

"Fine," he said, his tone clipped. "Just leave it alone, Toni."

It became silent for some time. It was awkward and weird and deadly all at the same time. Awkward because of Edward, weird because of me, and deadly because of both of us. Edward's head was down facing his lap, and he looked helpless for a second. I looked down as well and started twiddling my thumbs.

"Y'know, it's better to let things out than to keep them in. Trust me, I know."

I could feel his gaze on my hulking form, but I couldn't gain enough courage to meet it.

"And I also know that some secrets-" I paused and exhaled, "-some secrets need to be left alone, so I'll leave yours alone Edward. And whenever you feel like telling me, I'll be here for you."

I felt something grab my hand. I looked over to see my hand perfectly encased in his like they were once joined, separated, and have finally connected again. I looked up into his burning eyes and saw nothing but gratitude.

"You'll be the first person I tell. I promise, Toni," he told me.

"Promises mean nothing to me," I replied discreetly.

He frowned and went to say something when the door opened and in came Bella and a nurse. The nurse put her in the bed next to mine and left the room after informing us that the doctor would be there soon. I looked at Bella and looked back down. I guess Bella didn't notice anything wrong because she asked, "How did you get over to me so fast?"


	10. 10

**Toni's P.O.V.**

Carlisle Cullen.

He had to be the doctor that had just walked into the room. If his name tag didn't give it away, his ethereal beauty did. He looked young, like he was in his early to mid-twenties instead of in his mid-thirties. His blonde hair brought out the paleness of his skin and matched his golden eyes. He was a handsome man, even with the dark circles under his eyes, and he seemed like he was the fatherly type: kind, protective, and understanding.

So, this was Edward's dad. You could tell that Edward was adopted as their noses, jawlines, lips, hairline, and build were different. Yet, you could get confused and mistake them as biological dad and son if you only focused on their unearthly beauty.

"I heard the chief's daughters were in. You two must be the chief's daughters," Dr. Cullen said. "How are you feeling Isabella?"

"It's Bella and I'm fine," she said in an irritated tone. I snickered as I knew she was irritated by being called Isabella. I didn't understand why she hated her name so much. I loved her name; I loved it more than mine. It was beautiful and feminine while mine was masculine and plain. It was hard growing up with a boy's name. Kids made fun of me because of it. I wasn't a popular girl, to begin with, so my name was just the icing on the cake. I think I've always been jealous of her name, as weird as that was. It was because of that reason that I call her Isabella every day. I knew that every time I called her that, she would lash out, so I called her it every chance I got.

Dr. Cullen just smiled in response.

"And you, Toni? How are you feeling?"

"I'm better than I was. My nerves have calmed down, but my head still hurts a lot. So does my ankle"

"OK," he said while walking to the light board on the wall. He turned it on and looked at Bella.

"Your X-rays look good. Does your head hurt? Edward said both of you hit your head pretty hard," he informed us.

"It's fine," she repeated with a sigh as she threw a quick scowl towards Edward. I guess she was still mad at him for not answering her questions.

Dr. Cullen probed her head lightly to check for bumps or bleeding. She winced, causing guilt to flood through me. I might have pushed her too hard. He finished with her, saying that she needed to rest for the remainder of the day and that she needed to come back if she felt dizzy or light-headed. He informed her that our dad was in the waiting room, along with many students from school, and with a groan and a quick, promising glance at Edward, she left the room.

A couple of seconds after she left, Dr. Cullen turned his attention to me and said, "It's nice to meet the girl who has won over my children."

I smiled.

"It's nice to meet the generous man who adopted five important friends of mine," I said. Edward laughed.

"Please, call me Carlisle," he said while chuckling.

"Okay then," I agreed. "Before you give me my diagnosis, I want to inform you that I received a concussion a few days ago," I said sheepishly.

"A concussion? When did you receive that?" Edward asked.

"A few days ago. Last Thursday, to be exact," I informed them.

"How?" Edward asked in a demanding tone. His eyes were a bit dark from emotion, his shoulders were tense, and his lips were set into a firm line. Dr. Cullen set a reassuring hand on his shoulder and Edward let out a breath in response.

"I, uh, fell down the stairs in my house."

Edward closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He chuckled darkly a bit and shook his head as he made eye contact with me.

"It's not as bad as it seems, what with you receiving a concussion just a few days ago. It does make me more hesitant to let you go, though. You have a concussion, which means someone is going to have to monitor you for 48 hours. Normally, it's only 24 hours, but since you are recovering from a recent concussion, I want to take extra precautions. You are going to have to be woken up every few hours throughout the night just to make sure you are fine."

I groaned. I adored sleep and without it, I was like Ursula from The Little Mermaid: ugly, cranky, and mean. I nearly argued with my dad Friday night when he woke me up in the middle of the night. Being woken up throughout the night made me tired beyond belief and when I was tired, I tended to lash out. It was a good thing that my dad was a patient man or else I would have been in trouble.

"Your ankle is slightly sprained, too. I notice you are wearing a brace already. I recommend wearing it for the remainder of the week to prevent any more injury. I also recommend that you take tomorrow off from school, but if you're as stubborn as your father and your sister seem to be, then I know my recommendation will turn into an opinion," he said with a knowing look.

I laughed out of guilt and avoided their gazes. It was a trait my sister, my dad, and I all shared and people often got annoyed when it showed. I was headstrong and I couldn't help it most of the time.

"If she tries to go to school tomorrow, I'll stop her."

"I wasn't planning on going to school tomorrow. I'll be too exhausted to stay awake in class," I informed them. I immediately looked up at Edward and playfully glared at him. "But if I did show up, how exactly would you stop me from going to school?"

He smirked. "If you show up at school, I will simply drive you home."

I shook my head, rolled my eyes and looked up at Carlisle.

"Great parenting."

Edward walked with me towards the waiting room. The halls were filled with bustling nurses and doctors trying to help their patients, and every hall we turned into looked the same, that is until we made a right and saw the rest of the Cullens. As soon as Edward and I came around the corner, Alice and Rosalie ran up to me while Emmett and Jasper greeted Edward.

"Are you okay Toni? I didn't- you made your decision so quick that I didn't see it," Alice said, panicked. I looked at her strangely because I couldn't make sense of what she said. I did make my decision quickly; if I hadn't Bella would probably be dead. If you wait for even a second, doubt clouds your mind, and cowardice replaces your bravery.

"I'm okay Alice. A little shaken up, but once I get home and into bed, I'll be fine," I answered as tears welled up in my eyes.

"Are you sure?" Rosalie asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I just-," I stopped as I tried to halt the tears that threatened to spill. "I-i," choked out from my mouth before I started sobbing. Rosalie hugged me while Alice tried calming me down with her sweet tone. The fear that had grabbed me when Tyler's van started screeching towards us was powerful. I thought that Bella would die, I thought that I'd have to bury my sister early. I thought of how crushed dad was going to be when his only children were going to be injured severely and how helpless he would be. It was too much for me to handle at a time and I hated it.

"Everything will be okay Toni."

_Everything's okay._

"Bella's alive and alright."

_Bella is alive._

"You are alive and alright."

_I am alive._

"Toni."

I stopped crying and started sniffling, trying to rein in my emotions. I was passed over from a soft shoulder to a broader, more firm shoulder. I breathed in and recognized Edward's scent: honey and vanilla. It calmed me and made me feel safe all at once. I pulled back and gave him a very thankful smile.

"Jeez, Edward. You've already got the new girl crying all over you," Emmet joked.

"Yeah, seems to me like you should stop breaking hearts around here," Jasper said. Edward rolled his eyes and huffed. Then, he looked down at me and gestured for me to follow him.

"I'll see you guys later. And thanks, y'know, for being my shoulders to cry on," I said to them.

"It was no problem at all Toni. We'll always be here for you," Alice said. I thanked them again and then followed Edward to a silent and remote hallway in the hospital.

"Toni, there's-" Edward began. He didn't quite get it all out, though, because Bella interrupted him.

"Edward, can I talk to you for a minute?"

I saw Bella standing a few feet away from us with her arms crossed and her foot tapping the ground. Impatience was written all over her body language. Edward sighed and told me he would see me later. He walked over to Bella and I walked away from the two to meet up with my dad.


	11. 11

**THREE YEARS AGO - Third P.O.V.**

"Hey, Nathan."

Fourteen-year-old Toni greeted her friend. It was their first day of freshman year in high school, and they were currently at lunch. They had changed a bit over the years, physically and mentally. Toni had short, chin-length hair, and had dropped the baby fat that she had. She was sporting a red softball shirt and a pair of jean shorts that came to mid-thigh.

"Hey, Toni. How was Forks?" fifteen-year-old Nathan asked his friend. He had started growing out of his gangly frame and had grown several inches. He stood at a height of 5' 9", a couple of inches above Toni's height of 5' 5," and he no longer wore glasses, opting for contact's instead. The contacts were still a bit uncomfortable for him, but he was steadily getting used to them. His auburn curls started straightening themselves out and were wavier than anything else and the light freckles that used to adorn his face were practically nonexistent. Hitting puberty was the third best thing to happen to him. The first best thing that had happened to him was meeting Toni and the second-best thing was whenever he was taken away from his mom.

Last year, Nathan's mom had beat him so badly on a school night that he had bruises all over him in the shape of fingers and hands. His mom made him go to school the next day, which was a mistake on her part. He was sent to the principal's office immediately after his homeroom teacher looked at him. The principal had brought in the guidance counselor and she had asked him multiple questions about his home life. He was a bit scared to say anything, but he eventually broke down and told them everything. Child protective services were called and they took Nathan away after they assessed his home. Thankfully, he was placed with a foster family that lived in Phoenix so he could still hang out with Toni.

"It was amazing! We went fishing a lot, and he even let me take a short hike through the woods," Toni said excitedly. Nathan smiled at her.

"It seems like it was very fun."

"It was! I just wish you would have come," she pouted while placing her hand on his. He sighed.

"You know I couldn't. Maybe next year," he offered.

"Yeah, maybe."

"Look, Toni, I-" Nathan started but was cut off from their friend Mandy. Mandy slammed her tray down on the lunch table and huffed out a ragged breath. She plopped herself down and looked straight at Toni.

"You will not believe what I heard this morning," she exclaimed.

Toni, who was confused, looked at her and asked, "What?"

"This morning! I overhead Sammy who told Lisa that she heard from a friend of hers that Dean was searching for a dark-haired girl that he saw in the hallways."

"What does that have anything to do with any of us?" Nathan asked. It made no sense to him. Was this some kind of fairytale? Cinderella, maybe? Who tries to find some girl they've never talked to and barely caught a glimpse of? Besides, what would a senior want with a freshman? Mandy huffed in frustration.

"It has everything to do with us. Well, more like Toni."

"Listen, Mandy, just because I have black hair doesn't mean anything. Who is Dean, anyway?" asked Toni. Mandy dramatically gasped and threw her hand over her gaping mouth. Her long blonde hair swished back and forth as she grabbed ahold of Toni's shoulders and started shaking her.

"You don't know who Dean is?!"

Toni rolled her eyes and pushed Mandy's hands off her shoulders. She always wondered why her best friend was so dramatic.

"No. I don't," Toni said blandly as she reached for her food. Today they were having popcorn chicken and Toni loved popcorn chicken.

Mandy leaned in towards Toni and said excitedly, "Dean is only the hottest boy in this school. He's also a senior and he has this bad boy aura around him; like an 'I don't care' attitude."

Toni made a look of disgust. Why would she want to go out with someone like that? Why would she even want to go out with a senior? Sure, he could be cute, judging by Mandy's description, but he had to be at least 18. She was only 14 and still considered a minor.

"And your point is," Toni drawled out. But she didn't get an answer. Her friend was staring to the right; she wasn't paying attention to anything Toni was saying. Toni looked that way to see an attractive boy walking her way. He had long, chestnut hair that was knotted up at the base of his neck. He had deep hazel eyes and was wearing a plain black T-shirt with ripped jeans. He was tall, at least 6 feet tall, and had an impressive muscle mass. He was looking her way and smirked when he caught her eye.

Toni felt someone shaking her shoulders and saw that it was Mandy's hands, again. She then proceeded to look back up at the boy who she assumed was Dean. She could hear Nathan scoff beside her, yet she couldn't remove her gaze from the senior making his way towards them to ask him why he was acting that way.

She downcast her eyes, allowing her hair to hide her face when he reached the edge of their table. She started twiddling her thumbs in nervousness and refused to look at him.

"I've been looking everywhere for you."

She looked up at Dean and smiled. What he said was corny, but she wasn't sure how to act around older boys.

"Sorry," she said. This made his smirk grow as he sat down at the rounded table.

"My name's Dean, but you probably already knew that. Welcome to high school," Dean said.

Toni smiled. "Thanks. This is Mandy and Nathan, and I'm Toni."


	12. 12

**Toni's P.O.V.**

_This school is impossible!_

It was a few days after the incident happened and people were still worried about Bella and me. Random people walked up to us and asked us if we were okay in tones that were filled with obvious fake concern. Being around a lot of people wasn't my style and all the attention I was getting was putting me on edge. For some reason, everyone was being cold towards Tyler. I guessed that everyone blamed Tyler for almost killing us. It was stupid that they thought that way. I mean, maybe Tyler shouldn't have been driving so fast, but he didn't know that he would put Bella and me in danger. I was hoping everything would go back to normal soon, but I knew that was just wishful thinking.

Edward has been very distant. He was avoiding us, especially Bella, and it was starting to annoy me. I could understand why he was avoiding Bella; she's been telling all her friends that Edward was the hero of the whole situation and how he had saved the day. It was like she was trying so hard to reveal his secret or something and I knew it made him angry at her for disrespecting his wishes. I, of course, told everyone that only Bella and I were involved in the accident and when they mentioned Edward, I told them that he was nowhere near us.

At first, I had no clue what was going on. The day after the accident, of course, I went to school. As soon as Bella parked the truck, I jumped out and made my way over to the Cullens. They were just talking with each other, and when they saw me, they greeted me. Well, all of them except Edward. He just kind of looked at me and stalked off in a brooding manner. Alice said that he forgot to do his homework last night and wanted a place to do it silently, but I knew that she was lying. I let it go as it was none of my business. Funny thing is, he did the same thing at lunch and after school. Not only was it completely frustrating, but it made me feel a bit sad. I have never gotten to the point with someone where they completely avoided me due to my actions, so Edward being how he was hurtful.

When I walked into the cafeteria, I immediately spotted the Cullens. With determination running through my veins, I stalked my way over to their table. They noticed me before I made it to the table. Edward looked as if he were about to bolt, but he stayed rooted in his seat. I stopped at their table and stared at him, challenging him with my eyes to try something. I gestured to him to follow me with my head and quickly made my exit. I leaned against the brick wall of the building and waited. A couple of seconds later, he appeared and stood right beside me.

"I'm surprised you're even standing by me. Tell me, do I stink?" I asked him. He snorted like I was trying to make a joke, but I wasn't joking and I wasn't one for playing games.

"I'm being serious, Edward," I told him. "You're being childish and I don't appreciate it."

He sobered up at my words. He looked me straight in the eyes and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings and I didn't mean to act so harshly towards you and your sister."

I sighed. "You might not have meant to hurt my feelings, but you meant to be harsh. I could tell."

He ran his fingers through his hair, mussing up the already messy strands.

"We can't be friends, Toni."

"Why?"

"Just trust me. It's better this way."

I studied his face carefully. He seemed stressed and flustered. I remembered him being this way when he saved me and my jaw ticked.

"Do you regret saving me?" I asked him slowly and quietly. A part of me denied this question completely, but the rest of me knew it had to be a possibility. His expression turned dark and admittedly, I was scared. He was mad, angry, and I cursed myself internally for asking such a stupid question.

"You think I regret saving you."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

"I-I," I stuttered out. He was menacing.

"You don't know anything."

He turned and started walking back to the cafeteria, but my words stopped him.

"You regret saving my life, but only because your secret was- is - in danger," I blurted out without thinking. He turned his head and looked at me from the corner of his eyes. I continued when I realized I finally had his attention.

"You don't want anyone to know. You're pushing me away because you don't want to jeopardize you and your family."

He huffed and smirked.

"You're a lot smarter than you look."

I ignored his attitude and went on.

"What you don't understand is that I'm not going to say anything. I haven't mentioned your interference once; it's Bella you have to watch out for."

I walked up to him and stood directly in front of him. His head was down, so I gripped his jaw in my hand boldly and made eye contact with his beautiful golden eyes. I let my vulnerability show, my determination to gain his trust, my compassion, and my acceptance. I pulled our faces close together so that our noses touched. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply in response. I wished he could read my thoughts; I wish he could understand how much I appreciated their kindness.

_I would never hurt you or your family._

When he opened his eyes, I was met with admiration, gratitude, and high regard, but he was still guarded. I understood why he was, though. When the events took place in Arizona, I didn't want to talk about anything related to it. It was hard to keep in, to keep my feelings about it a secret, but it was necessary at the time to spare others from how I was feeling.

"I will never, ever put you or your family in danger. I care too much about all of you to do something like that."

"You don't even know us," he said.

I smiled. "That's the thing; I don't have to. I could tell the first time I met all of you that you'd have a big impression on my life. Seems I was right."

"Or, maybe you're just too naive, and we're playing you like an accordion."

"True. But you wouldn't have saved me," I joked. He smiled wide, causing me to smile, as well.

"But in all seriousness," I started, "you and your family are the best things that have happened to me in a while. Rosalie and Alice act like the sister I want, Emmett is the big brother I wish I had, Jasper is the conscious I lack, and you, you're the boy I wish I had fallen in love with first."

My hand slackened and my eyes bulged.

_I can't believe I just said that!_

"I uh-," I started, but couldn't finish. What could I say to deter the conversation away from the stupid thing I had said. It wasn't that I didn't feel for Edward a little, but I didn't want him to think I was full-blown in love with him. I was embarrassed that I had thrown all my emotions out into the open like that. I always tried to think about the consequences that could arise from my actions before doing anything. The consequence not only affected me but the people around me, as well.

I was a bit shaken as my words reminded me of a conversation I had with Nathan. It wasn't an enjoyable conversation and I admit I had been very mean to him. But I had to be mean. It was for his own good. He wasn't the only one who walked away from that conversation emotionally.

I diverted my eyes away from Edward as I saw the incredulous look on his face. I mean, Edward was nice to me, even when he tried not to. I didn't want to screw up the weird relationship we had, but I knew that I already had.

_I'm so screwed!_

"You- you love me?" He asked.

"Well, I-. I mean not-,"

"You can't."

I looked at him confused and hurt. I wasn't completely sure of my feelings, but I knew some part of me cared for Edward. I was more of an emotional person than physical and mental, which meant that I let my emotions run my life. They didn't run my life completely; I could hold them back if it was needed, but my emotions were a big part of me. I grew emotionally attached to people quickly and effortlessly if they were kind to me and Edward was no exception. His words cut me and I didn't know how to stitch that wound up. His words also pissed me the hell off!

"What do you mean I can't? Who gave you the right to dictate my feelings!" I practically yelled at him.

"I'm a monster, Toni. I'm evil and you're too good for me. I can't- I refuse to let you intertwine your life with mine," He said.

"First off, you're not evil. If you were, I wouldn't be standing here with you. Secondly, I am not pure. If anything, I'm bad for you."

He sarcastically smiled and made a little noise in the back of his throat. He was upset and he seemed to not know how to deal with it. He ran his fingers through his hair roughly and dropped his hand quickly. He opened his mouth, then closed it as if he was rethinking what he wanted to say. In frustration, he started pacing back and forth.

"I don't know what to do with you," he said. His eyes showed so much emotion that it made my head dizzy. I had never witnessed so many run across a person's eyes at a time. It almost seemed impossible.

"You don't have to do anything with me, Edward," I said quietly. If he didn't return my undecided feelings, then that would be okay. I'd get over it sooner or later and then we would resume being friends.

"I'm drawn to you, Toni. So much that it is almost unnatural. In fact, I can tell you that it is unnatural," he ranted.

"I'm drawn to you too, Edward. The first day we met, I felt this intense feeling. It was like I just- I just knew that you were going to be important in my life."

He looked at me hard. He seemed to be concentrating on something or deciding what to say next. I saw an apologetic emotion run through his eyes before they hardened and he said something I thought I would never hear again.

"This- us -can't happen. I won't let it! I'm not good for you. I'm sorry Toni, but I can't return your feelings. I apologize if I ever led you to believe that I could actually care about you," he said and then walked off.

**\----------------------**

_"This- us -can't happen. I won't let it! I'm not good for you. I'm sorry Nathan, but I can't return your feelings. I apologize if I ever led you to believe that I could actually care about you."_

_Nathan looked at me in disbelief. His eyes started to water and I instantly felt bad, but I couldn't show it. I wasn't the same Toni I was when we met. Things had changed, I had changed, and there was no way we could go back to being Toni and Nathan. Mandy recognized it; she knew it was just a matter of time before I hurt her, so she just stopped trying. Nathan was determined, though, to help me through it. I wouldn't put him through the hurt, the pain, and the guilt that I felt. I knew he wouldn't be able to handle it; he just wasn't emotionally strong enough._

_"You don't mean that," he said quietly while sniffling._

_"I do," I said. "I want nothing more to do with you, Nathan."_

_His face looked so crippled, so broken. I couldn't bear it anymore. I'll admit I was a coward because right after I said those stinging words, I left him to wallow in his pain. As I walked off, I silently prayed that Nathan would forgive me someday._

**\-----------------------------**

For the remainder of the school day, I avoided the Cullens. I avoided Emmett's jokes, I avoided Jasper's silent gazes, I avoided Alice's greetings, I avoided Rosalie's worried gestures, and I especially avoided Edward. I couldn't fathom how he knew about what I said to Nathan. He couldn't know. It could have been a coincidence, but that wasn't possible, either. He told me, word for word, what I told Nathan a few years ago. Had he known Nathan? That was impossible too.

If he did know, for some implausible reason, then I hated him. I hated him for throwing my regretful words back in my face and not caring how I would feel. He wasn't trying to protect me like I was Nathan when he spat those words at me. He wasn't trying to spare my feelings when he decided to say those words. He wanted to hurt me and I didn't appreciate it. Accidentally hurting someone was one thing, but purposely hurting someone was another.

If he thought that I would forgive him soon, he was wrong. I could forgive someone albeit with a little difficulty, but Edward had gone too far. Hate was such a strong word, but at that moment, I hated Edward Cullen with all my being.


	13. 13

**Toni's P.O.V.**

It was unnerving, to say the least. It was just plain stupid.

I was talking about Edward, of course.

He was trying to talk to me and get my attention, but I refused to give it to him. He had intentionally hurt me last week with no remorse. He acted like he never said anything and it was driving me crazy! I refused to forgive him until he properly apologized. The least he could do is give me space, but he won't even do that. He was everywhere! He was in the hallway between classes, he was in the cafeteria staring at me, he was outside in the parking lot.

I opted for sitting with Angela at lunch instead of the Cullens to get away from him. It wasn't working. I could feel his stare drill through me while I tried to eat my food in peace. Besides the uncomfortableness I felt, it was nice sitting with Angela again. We caught up with each other and I found out she liked Ben. Her crush on the guy was cute and I couldn't help but picture them together. In doing so, Edward's face popped up in my mind and I scowled.

It was hard to forgive someone who went out of their way to make you feel like shit. After everything I've been through in life, I refused to allow Edward to make it worse. Still, I couldn't help but glare at him as he sat with Bella. The first day I saw them sit together, I was hurt. Bella had walked into the cafeteria and sat beside Jess. Edward was sitting by himself that day and was staring at me with an expression akin to frustration. As soon as he spotted Bella, his face opened and he beckoned her over. She had smirked at me and giddily walked over to his table. The two of them had talked throughout the whole lunch period.

I didn't understand why he did it. It felt like he was playing with Bella's and my emotions, like he was hopping between the two of us. It was only a few days after our argument that he started talking to her. I couldn't decide if he was doing it to spite me or if he genuinely wanted to talk to Bella. I shouldn't have cared because I was mad at him, but my feelings for him confused me.

"Are you coming with us, Toni?" Angela asked, bringing me out of my stupor.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Distracted?" she asked. She smiled knowingly and giggled when my face scrunched up.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked embarrassingly. I didn't realize I had been staring at Edward and Bella for so long. When I looked back at them, Edward met my stare and smirked satisfactorily. I narrowed my eyes at his behavior and wondered what he was up to.

"It is," Angela confirmed, garnering my attention once again. I groaned quietly and slumped in my chair. "Don't worry. I don't think the others have noticed."

"It's not them I'm worried about," I grumbled.

"You really like him, don't you?"

"Unfortunately," I sighed out.

"What happened between you two? You started ignoring him out of nowhere," she said.

"We got into an argument," I confessed. "He said something to me that rubbed me the wrong way and has yet to apologize for it."

"Well, maybe he's trying to apologize but can't because you won't talk to him," she suggested.

"I don't know," I trailed off. "What he said hurt."

"You don't have to forgive him, just hear him out."

"Maybe you're right," I said. I looked at Edward and Bella and watched Bella rub small circles on the table as she looked up at him. No doubt she was trying to seduce him. I frowned and focussed on the food occupying my tray.

"Maybe a weekend of fun will help?" Angela suggested.

"Oh, yeah. Where did you say you were going?"

"La Push beach on the Quileute reservation. We're going on Saturday and spending the whole day there. You should come."

"Who's all going?" I asked skeptically.

"Just everyone here: Jess, Mike, Tyler, Lauren, Ben, me. I think Jess invited Bella, too."

"I'll think about it," I grimaced.

"C'mon, it'll be fun! You don't have to talk to anyone you don't want to, and there will be whale watching," Angela pushed. A resigned smile made its way across my face and I nodded my head in agreement.

"I'll come."

After school, I walked inside my house and threw my bookbag on the floor. I went into the kitchen to look for a nice snack before dinner. The front door opened and I heard someone curse and fall. I hurried to the hallway and saw Bella on the floor next to my bookbag. I covered my mouth with my hand to stifle a laugh, but a few giggles escaped. She glared at me and made her way into the living room.

"So, are you going with us?" she asked me. I looked at her confused.

"Going where?" I asked her.

"Mike, Eric, Jess, Angela, and a bunch of others are going to La Push. Didn't Angela ask you?" she asked with disdain.

"Yeah, I'm going. I'm hoping to see Jake," I answered.

"Who's Jake?"

"Jake. Jacob Black. Billy's son? We used to play in the mud together."

"How would I be able to remember some kid from like thirteen years ago?"

"I remember him," I said smugly. "I also remember us covering you in mud when we were little."

She scowled and looked me up and down. She scrutinized my appearance, making me self-conscious.

"I should thank you for screwing up with Edward," she suddenly said. "If it wasn't for your mistake, I wouldn't have gotten his attention."

"Do you know how stupid you sound?" I asked incredulously. "You're basically implying that he's only talking to you because I won't talk to him."

"It doesn't matter," she said. She stomped away and up the stairs, leaving me bewildered. I had an inkling as to why Edward was talking to Bella now, and if my hunch was correct, I was going to be even madder with him than before.

The next day at lunch, I decided to sit with the Cullens. I needed to know if they knew anything about what Edward was up to, and I felt bad for avoiding them. They hadn't done anything to me, so it was unfair to treat them like they did. To my pleasure, they weren't upset with me and allowed me to sit with them.

"Look at them," hissed Rosalie in distaste. She was glaring in Bella and Edward's direction with a murderous glint in her eyes. Edward and Bella were chatting again at his table and they were having one of their more pleasant chats if their smiles were anything to go by.

"Why must he be so idiotic?" Rose asked. "I mean, did he think it would work?"

"If what would work?" I asked. She looked at me and then changed the subject. But I refused to let her stray away from what I wanted to know. "I have an idea of what he's doing, but I need you to confirm it for me."

"She's right, Rose," Alice chimed in. "She deserves to know."

Rosalie sighed and said, "Edward has been using Bella to make you jealous and learn more about you."

My eyes widened in shock and my mouth fell open. I suspected that he was using her to get me to talk to him again, but it was still shocking to hear it. Suddenly, Rosalie hissed and glared at Edward. He was glaring back at her and seemed to be in a bad mood. My face darkened and my mouth set into a thin, tight line.

"He's stupid for thinking that would work," I agreed with Rosalie. "Maybe I was jealous, but now I'm just pissed off. Using Bella like that, even if I don't like her, is messed up. Using anyone like that is messed up."

"Please ignore his actions," Alice pleaded. "Edward doesn't understand how these things work."

"I'm sure he doesn't," I retorted sarcastically. I stood up from my seat and marched over to Edward despite the protests coming from his siblings.

"Bella, I need to talk to Edward alone," I told her once I stood in front of them.

"We're in the middle of a conversation," Bella said through clenched teeth.

"I need to speak to Toni, as well," Edward said. "May I have some time alone tot alk to her, Bella?"

"Sure," she mumbled. She stood up and body checked me before walking off. I rolled my eyes and sat down in the seat she previously occupied. Before she could start the conversation, Edward spoke.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"Sorry you got caught?" Toni asked dubiously.

"No," he said. "I'm sorry for hurting you. I want to keep you safe from my lifestyle."

"Your lifestyle? What's so dangerous about it?"

"I can't tell you. Let's just say it's a life I wouldn't give anyone."

"If you can't tell me that, then can you answer a different question?"

"What do you want to know?"

"What you said to me...," I started shakily, "how did you know?"

"How did I know what?" he asked, guarded.

"Those words. I used them on someone who was once important to me. You recited them word for word. How did you know them?" I asked.

"It must have been a coincidence," he answered.

"Don't lie to me!" I shouted frantically. I looked around the cafeteria and thankfully no one was paying attention to us. "How did you know them?"

He sighed and said, "I... I can read minds."

"You can... read minds?" I asked slowly. It was absurd. No one could read minds. It was impossible.

"Yes. Does it bother you?" he asked unsurely. Did it bother me? No, not really. However, there was one thing that did bother me.

"You used my own words against me," I whispered. "You knew what they meant and you used them to hurt me."

"I am truly sorry, Toni," he apologized profusely. "I never meant to hurt you."

"You did," my voice echoed. As if I was on autopilot, I pushed my chair out and stood up. Edward grabbed my wrist and stopped me from leaving.

"Toni, please," he begged.

"Let go," I demanded. He unclasped his hand from around my wrist and I walked away from him without looking back.


	14. 14

**Toni's P.O.V.**

It was Thursday night and dad finally got out of work on time. I was sitting in the living room with him watching Tv, and for once, he let me pick what we watched. I chose some action movie that seemed like it would be good. I tried concentrating on it, but I couldn't stop thinking about Edward's actions. I wanted to forgive him because I knew it was the right thing to do, but would he repeat his actions? Would he voluntarily hurt me once again if I cut him some slack? I sighed and my dad caught it. I gave him a small smile and continued to ponder my decision.

"I thought you'd be more into this," my dad said as he gestured to the TV. "What's wrong, kid?"

"It's nothing," I brushed it off. He grabbed the remote and turned off the screen.

"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be sitting there looking miserable. C'mon, what happened?"

I hesitated before I said, "A friend of mine said some hurtful things to me and I don't know if I should forgive them yet."

"What did they say?" he asked.

"They just threw some words in my face, is all. They apologized, but I don't know if I should forgive them," I confessed.

"How do you feel about it, bud?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you still affected by their words?"

"Well, it happened over a week ago," I said as I bit my lip, "but I found out he did it on purpose a few days ago. I was starting to get over it when I found out he did it purposefully."

"And how do you feel now?"

"I'm kind of tired of holding a grudge against him. It's a lot of work to pretend I hate him when I just want to talk to him."

"Then forgive him. Don't drag it out any longer," he said simply. I took a deep breath and leaned into his side for comfort. He threw an arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head.

"Thanks, dad."

"It's my job," he said. He turned the TV back on, but this time I noticed he was the one distracted. I poked his side and asked him what was wrong.

"So it's a boy," my dad gruffed out. I sat there shocked as to how he had guessed I was talking about Edward. Then I realized I had switched the pronouns I had been using, outing myself. I almost facepalmed at my mistake.

"Do you like this boy?" he asked seriously.

"Yeah," I answered truthfully.

"What's his name?"

"Don't yell at me," I said before I told him it was Edward.

"Isn't he the same boy your sister likes?" he asked incredulously. I nodded my head silently and pleaded him with my eyes to not blow it out of proportion. He sighed and sunk into his seat. "You girls are going to give me a headache."

"It's not like I meant to like the same guy she does. It just happened!" I exclaimed.

"I'm going to leave it to the two of you to figure out. Just don't let it get in between you two. I'm getting tired of hearing you fighting all the time," he said wearily.

"No promises, but I'll try my best."

* * *

I watched the shiny Volvo roll into the parking spot across the lot and park. Its doors opened and the Cullens stepped out. I gathered my wits and walked over to them. I greeted Rosalie, Jasper, Emmett, and Alice with a wave and a smile. All of them reciprocated my actions except Alice, who pulled me into a hug and whispered a light "good luck" into my ear. I didn't know how she knew what I was up to, but I hugged her back tightly as thanks. I faced Edward and waved awkwardly at him. He chuckled but it was marred with defensiveness.

"Toni," he greeted.

"Edward," I greeted back. "I wanted to tell you that I forgive you for what you did."

"I don't deserve your forgiveness," he stated.

"Maybe you don't, but I'm tired of stressing myself out over it. I thought about it and I'm tired of holding a grudge against you," I said.

"I am sorry for what I said, Toni," he apologized.

I rolled my eyes and said, "I know. Now stop wallowing in your self-pity and accept my forgiveness."

"I shouldn't," he said, mainly to himself. Toni punched him in the arm and winced when she pulled her hand back. It was throbbing with pain. "That's exactly why I shouldn't"

"Tough shit, Edward. I've noticed you have a tendency to change your mind. I'll let you get to class, but come find me at lunch. I'm sure you'll have made up your mind by then," I said. I left him standing in astonishment and headed to class. The most confusing part of Edward wasn't his physical appearance but his way of thinking. One minute he was okay with something and the next minute he wasn't. Maybe his mind-reading ability was clouding his judgment.

When lunch rolled around, I sat with the Cullens. Edward wasn't in the room yet, but I patiently waited for him to arrive. I waited five minutes before he stepped through the doors. I smirked as he made his way tot he table.

_I see I was right._

He lowered his head and huffed in amusement. He took the seat next to me and set me with a look.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"You do this all the time. It's not hard to figure out," I said nonchalantly.

"I'm not Alice, but even I could see it coming," Rosalie said with a roll of her eyes. I giggled.

"Do you think you can come over to our house this weekend?" Alice asked. "Esme has been dying to meet you!"

"Sorry, Alice. I can't. I already promised Angela I would go to La Push with her this weekend," I apologized. "Is next weekend okay?"

"That's perfectly fine!" Alice exclaimed. There was a hint of worry in her golden eyes, but her voice was strong and steady.

"You're going to La Push?" Edward asked. "Bella mentioned it, but she didn't tell me you were going too."

"What's wrong with La Push?" I asked.

"Let's just say the animals there don't like us," Emmett grimaced. Rose hit him in the arm and gestured towards me. I pursed my lips in confusion. Every time I visited La Push, the only big animal I'd seen was a deer and deer weren't that big compared to other animals.

"I'd invite you to go with us, but it sounds like you'd all reject my invitation," I said with a frown.

"Would you listen to me if I asked you not to go?" Edward asked.

"No," I said shortly.

"Of course not," he grumbled.

"We can hang out a different day," Alice suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," I agreed.

"We can plan a day in Seattle and go to the mall. Port Angeles doesn't exactly carry what I like to wear," Alice said with her nose wrinkled.

"Sure."

Jasper chuckled and cautioned, "Don't let her get carried away."

"I scrunched my eyebrows together and said, "Is she that bad with shopping?"

"You have no idea," he replied.

"I promise to keep it to a ten bag maximum," Alice said gleefully.

"Are we talking big bags, small bags, or regular bags?" I asked dubiously.

"Big bags, of course!"

"Of course."


	15. 15

**Toni's P.O.V.**

Saturday morning came and I quickly got ready for a day at the beach. Bella and I met everyone at the sporting goods store that Mike's parents owned. We were riding with Mike in his van and it was such a tight squeeze that I was almost sitting on Angela's lap. The whole ride was uncomfortable and I had wished to open the door and jump out of it the whole way to the beach.

When we got there, it was cold and a little damp. It was such a beautiful view, though. The ocean was gray and calm and the sky was a grayish-blue. I wondered how the water felt, but I knew I would freeze if I tried to get in. I took a seat in the back of Mike's van with Bella and Angela and watched as Jessica and Eric went to ride the waves.

There were a couple of Quileute boys there just lounging around, but I couldn't recognize any of them as Jacob. I got up and started walking along the beach in boredom. The sand was mushy beneath my sneakers and I caught a glimpse of some seashells that littered the land. I bent down to pick up a pretty blue one when a tanned hand beat me to it. I straightened myself out and was about to yell at the stranger for taking it when I spotted it first, but immediately stopped myself. I smiled big and threw my arms around the tall, lanky figure.

"I missed you, Jake!"

"I've missed you too, Toni. How's life been?" he asked.

"Oh, y'know, same old, same old," I told him. "What about you?! Still haven't gotten rid of those beautiful tresses of yours?"

He laughed and smiled.

"No. You threatened me when I told you I was thinking about a haircut before, remember?" he asked me.

"I sure do."

Jake was a funny guy with a contagious smile. Anytime anyone saw his sparkling teeth, they showed theirs in return. Spending time with Jake was a breath of fresh air from my stupid life; he always made me forget about my problems for a while. That was the thing about him. Jake had a personality that made people gravitate towards him. His easy-going nature made people want to tell him their deepest, darkest secrets without a care in the world.

"So, did Bella come with you?" he asked me with hopeful eyes. Jake has had a crush on Bella since he could walk on his own. Even if he couldn't fully understand feelings at such a young age, it was apparent that he liked her more than me. He followed her everywhere she went and copied her movements and gestures. It was annoying, especially when we played would play together, but you couldn't choose who you found attractive.

"Yeah, she came. She's over there, sitting in the back of the van," I said while pointing at the van Bella and Angela occupied.

"Great," he said. "It's been a while since I've seen her. Is she doing good?" he asked me.

"Well, I guess," I replied. In all honesty, I had no clue. She looked fine physically, but I wasn't sure emotionally or mentally. We hadn't talked much since we moved to Forks and in with our dad. We hadn't talked much in Phoenix, either, but we had become more distant with the move. It was kind of like we were acquaintances instead of sisters. Plus, I was sure she knew Edward was only using her to get to me.

"Do you want to go over there?" I asked him. He looked down at me with reluctance. I rolled my eyes and said, "C'mon."

We walked over there and stood in front of them. Bella looked up at Jake with curiosity and then at me with a questioning gaze.

"Hey, guys. This is Jake. Do you remember him, Bella?"

Angela greeted Jake while Bella shook her head 'no' at my question. No surprise there.

"We used to play together as kids," I said, trying to help her. I had told her about him a few hours ago, yet she didn't remember. That showed how much she listened to me. She shrugged her shoulders and greeted him anyways. Then, she grabbed a pack of opened licorice from behind her and offered him one. I was going to get one as well, but she yanked it out of my reach before I could. I glared at her and stuck my tongue out.

"Real mature, Toni," she said.

"So, are you going to surf some waves?" Jacob asked her. She looked at him like he'd gone crazy.

"No! If I tried, I'd fall and hurt myself," she said. He laughed at her.

"You were always clumsy," he said. Suddenly, Jessica ran up to us in her wetsuit.

"Hey, Bella. Hey, Toni. Who's your friend?"

"Oh. Hey, Jess. This is Jacob," Bella said.

"Already have another boyfriend lined up?" Jessica asked with a waggle of her eyes. My brows furrowed at the implication and I turned away from them. Bella laughed but it wasn't genuine.

"What?" Jacob asked nobody in particular.

"It's just that, you might need to keep Bella warm tonight; her date bailed on her," she said with a smirk.

"What date," I heard Eric ask.

"She invited Edward."

Of course, she did. Bella puzzled me. How could she act like Edward was doing nothing when she knew his plans all along?

"Cullen?" I heard one of the few Quileute boys ask.

"Yeah," I confirmed. He looked back at his friends, and then at us.

"The Cullen's don't come here."

**\--------------------**

"So, what did Sam mean when he said, 'The Cullens don't come here'?" Bella asked Jacob.

For some reason, Jacob fell for Bella's fake googly eyes and dragged me with them to walk down the beach. Bella was just as curious as me about what Sam had said. The sky was fading into a dark blue and it was getting colder as night set in. The others were sitting around a fire further down the beach and Jessica and Angela were laughing as the boys tried to scare them. I wanted to be with them, but I was curious about the Cullens.

"Oh. It didn't really mean anything," Jake said.

"Well, it didn't sound like it," Bella pushed. She seemed determined to find something out about the Cullens.

"Well," he started, then paused. He seemed to internally debate something with himself, and then he sighed.

"Ok, if I tell you something, do you promise not to say anything to anyone?" he asked us. We both nodded our heads.

"Ok. So, have you heard of the Quileute legends?"

"Nope," Bella said.

"Well, my father tells us, the tribe, the stories every chance he gets. Supposedly, the whole tribe is descended from wolves, and my great-grandfather was a direct descendant of the wolf."

"Your great-grandfather?" Bella encouraged.

"He was a tribal elder like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf. Well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors. Your people call them werewolves."

"Werewolves have enemies?" I asked incredulously.

"Only one."

I stared at him earnestly, waiting for him to continue.

"So, you see," Jacob continued, "the cold ones are traditionally our enemy, but a clan of cold ones that came onto our territory during my great-grandfather's time was different. They didn't hunt the way others of their kind did; they weren't supposed to be dangerous to the tribe. So, my great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they promised to stay off our lands, we wouldn't expose them to the pale-faces." He winked at us.

"If they weren't dangerous, then why...?" Bella asked. Like her, I tried to make sense of the story.

"There's always a risk for humans to be around the cold ones, even if they're civilized like this clan was. You never know when they might get too hungry to resist temptation." He deliberately worked a thick edge of menace into his tone.

"What do you mean by 'civilized'?" I asked.

"They claimed that they didn't hunt humans. They supposedly were somehow able to prey on animals instead."

Bella tried to keep her voice casual and asked, "So how does it fit in with the Cullens? Are they like the cold ones your great-grandfather met?"

"No," He paused dramatically, "they are the same ones."

He must have thought the expression on Bella's face was fear inspired by his story. He smiled, pleased, and continued.

"There are more of them now, a new female and a new male, but the rest are the same. In my great-grandfather's time, they already knew of the leader. He'd been here and gone before your people had even arrived," he said while fighting a smile.

"What was the leader's name?" Bella asked.

"I'm not sure. My dad never mentioned it."

The Cullens did seem weird, but not so much that they were some sort of supernatural creature. There were traits that they displayed that could pass as abnormal, but I liked to think that they were as human as me. Besides, Carlisle, their adoptive father, worked at a hospital! If he was a danger to humans, he wouldn't be able to work around them so much.

"And what are they?" I finally asked. "What are the cold ones?"

He smiled darkly.

"Blood drinkers," he replied in a chilling voice. "Your people call them vampires."

My heart beat loudly in my chest and I bit my lip. Edward could read minds. It wasn't characteristic of vampires to do so, but I couldn't help but picture the Cullens as vampires. I shook my head and rid myself of those thoughts. The Cullens did seem weird, but they were nice people There were traits that they displayed that could pass as abnormal, but I liked to think that they were as human as me. Besides, Carlisle, their adoptive father, worked at a hospital! If he was a danger to humans, he wouldn't be able to work around them so much. They were nice people and my friends.

"That was a very nice story Jake," I told him. He smirked.

"I'd like to think so."

We caught up to the others and spent the rest of our time at the beach talking around a small fire. When Bella and I got home, we separated and went to our respective rooms. I was just about to climb into bed when Bella opened my door and invited herself in. I looked at her quizzically and proceeded to get in bed.

"What do you know about the Cullens?" she asked.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"The Cullens. There's something wrong about them and I'm going to find out what it is. What do you know about them?" she demanded as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm not telling you anything. You need to leave it alone. If they want us to know, they'll tell us," I argued.

"You aren't curious about what Jake said?"

"I am. I want to know, too, but I'm not dumb enough to ask," I said with a roll of my eyes.

"Don't expect me to tell you when I figure it out," she smirked and walked off.

"Like they'd trust her before they trust me," I muttered under my breath.


	16. 16

**THREE YEARS AGO - Third P.O.V.**

Toni walked inside her house quietly. It was two in the morning and she was too stoned and too tired to argue with her mother, who she knew was waiting up for her. Usually, she would be very apologetic for making her mom stay up for her, but she, quite frankly, didn't care anymore. She walked down the hallway and made her way to the stairs, but she stopped when she heard her mom's voice.

"Toni Alexandria Swan, where have you been?!"

Toni sighed and her shoulders dropped; she was so close to avoiding an argument. She took a couple of steps back and walked into the living room. She knew if she ignored her mom, the argument would follow her to her room and she didn't want her mom in her room. It wasn't as if she had something bad hiding in her room, but she liked her personal space.

"I was just out," Toni said tiredly. Her mom was standing in front of her with her arms crossed over her chest.

"You were just out?"

Toni nodded her head; going down fast and coming up slowly because her head felt heavy.

"You were out partying again with that Dean boy, weren't you?"

"I have...no idea...what you're talking...about," Toni said, cutting the sentence multiple times by yawning.

"Sure, you don't!" her mom yelled while throwing her hands up. Renee started pacing the room; back and forth, back and forth. It was giving Toni a headache.

"I know I'm a pretty laid-back mom; every other mother has ridiculed me because of it, and I know you and Bella take advantage of that."

She took a deep breath and let it out.

"There are things that I will tolerate, but what I won't tolerate is my youngest daughter coming home smelling like weed at two in the morning, looking like she's drugged up!"

"Who are you to accuse me?!"

"I am your mother and I am the rule maker of this house. Ever since you started dating that rebel of a boy, you've been acting out. I don't want you seeing him anymore."

"You can't tell me who I can and can't date! I love Dean, and he loves me!"

Toni's mom scoffed.

"Love. What do you know about love? You're only 15! That boy is 19! Do you think he loves you?! I'll believe it when I stop seeing him in the streets with whores."

"Forget you, you dumb bitch! You're just pissed off that I can actually keep a man," Toni said, referring to her mom's dating history. Renee looked at her daughter in disbelief. She couldn't believe what came out of Toni's mouth.

"You're grounded. You are not to have any contact with Dean. You are to come straight home after school. You are not allowed to go to anyone's house and I want your cell phone. Now," Renee said, her voice getting louder and louder as Toni started walking away.

Toni stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned towards her mom. She was mad and hated how much authority her mom had over her.

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"As long as you live under my roof, you are to abide by my rules," Renee said, and then held out her hand. Toni looked at her mother's outstretched hand and then back at her face. She raised her eyebrow.

"Cellphone. Now."

Toni huffed loudly and quickly put her phone in her mom's outstretched hand before storming up the stairs.

* * *

"Hey babe," Dean said.

"Hey Dean," Toni replied.

They were behind the school hanging out. Toni was supposed to be in class, but she skipped. At first, Toni denied Dean every time he asked her to skip, but eventually, she accepted his request. She was scared to skip class as she knew she would miss vital information for her education and she didn't want the school to call her mom, but as time went on, she started to care less and less about school and getting in trouble with her mom.

Toni was madly in love with Dean. She had only been dating him for four months, but she felt like he was the one for her. She had never been in a relationship before, so when Dean asked her to be his girlfriend, she was nervous. She didn't know how she was supposed to act or what she was supposed to say. It was a new experience for her and she wasn't sure if she was ready for it. In the end, Dean made her comfortable in the relationship and it bloomed into something she thought was beautiful. To her, he was the sun that the planets revolved around.

On the contrary, Dean didn't love her. When he had seen her on the first day of his senior year, he thought that she was hot. He wanted a new conquest, as he was bored with the last girl he messed with. When he walked up to her at lunch that day, he knew that she was a freshman due to the innocent and young look to her face. That fact didn't deter him from his mission, though. It made him want to accomplish it even more. He had never been with a virgin and he thought it would be a great experience.

Dean offered Toni a cigarette, to which she gladly accepted. She put it in her mouth, and Dean pulled out a lighter. He lit the end of it, and Toni took a drag. They did this for a couple of minutes in silence before Dean struck up a conversation.

"So, I heard your mom blew a fuse again," he said while smirking.

"Yeah," Toni said while blowing out some smoke. "She smelled the weed on me when I got home last night. She told me I was grounded and that I had to come home straight after school today, but that's not going to happen."

Dean laughed and pulled out a cigarette of his own.

"Speaking of weed, where is it? You said you were bringing some today," Toni stated accusingly.

"Yeah, about that," he said while running his hand over the back of his head. Toni rolled her eyes, already knowing what was coming next.

"You smoked all of it, didn't you?"

"I'm sorry babe, the boys came over."

Toni seethed in silence. She loathed it when his 'friends' came over. They were full of ignorance and were downright pigs. They had no respect for her, and Dean always acted differently around them.

"Your boys are starting to piss me off," she grumbled.

This made Dean mad. He had put up with Toni's complaining for months and it was getting on his nerves. She was cool when they first started dating, but now she was annoying. It was why he started cheating on her behind her back. That, and the fact that she still had morals and didn't want to have sex yet.

He walked in front of her, grabbed her cheeks in one hand, and pulled them together. Her cigarette fell out of her mouth onto the ground, and her eyes started to water; the force he was using was great.

"You listen here bitch, and you listen good. I'm tired of your fucking shit! You disrespect my boys, you disrespect me. I don't have time for a spoiled brat, so you better hurry up and get down from your high horse before I pull you down. Understood?"

She pushed away from him and picked up her fallen cigarette. She took a drag to calm her nerves. She looked at him and saw that he was waiting for her to confirm her understanding. She rolled her eyes.

"What are you, my warden?" she asked sarcastically. She smirked and raised the cigarette again. Her smirk was wiped off her face when a force met her head and whipped it to the side. She kept her head to the side and clutched her swollen cheek. She was stunned. That was the first time he ever laid his hands on her in such a violent manner. She felt like crying.

"You ever say shit like that again, I'll end you."


	17. 17

**Toni's P.O.V.**

"Hey, Toni!"

I turned around and saw Jessica. I rolled my eyes and started walking again. I was hoping she would get the hint that I didn't want to talk to her, but she caught up to me and started walking beside me. Jessica and I still weren't the best of friends, and her constant talking wasn't helping. I had to admit, she wasn't such a bad person. She was fun to be around sometimes and she was really smart, but some of the things she said were awful. Although most days she talked about someone's outfit, she gossiped about any and everything. Just the other day, she told us that some girl broke up with her boyfriend. The part that bothered me about that conversation was that Jessica said that she knew the girl would not keep her boyfriend due to her weight.

"Did you want to come to Port Angeles tonight? Angela and I are looking for dresses for prom," she said.

"I don't know, Jessica. I have a lot of homework to do and finding dresses isn't my forte," I told her. It was all true, of course. My teachers thought it would be hilarious to slam me with homework and I wasn't that big on fashion, not like Alice.

"Please, Toni. You have to help me out! And Bella is going too," she whined. I sighed. If Bella was going, then everything would be worse. Still, it would be a good opportunity to look for my dress. Two people had asked me to prom so far, but I was hoping a certain bronze-haired boy would.

"Okay. I'll go. What time are we meeting each other?"

She squealed out and threw her arms around me. I pushed her off me a bit roughly and looked at her like she was insane.

"Thank you! We're going straight after school," she informed me.

"A little more time would have been helpful," I grumbled.

I wasn't in a good mood. In truth, I was just distracted. The other day, I went with Alice and Rosalie to the mall in Port Angeles. We were supposed to go to Seattle, but my dad didn't want me out the entire day. We had been out most of the day and I hadn't brought any food with me, so I ate in the food court. The thing was, Alice and Rosalie didn't eat anything. They told me they had eaten before we left, but we left around eight in the morning and when I ate, it was around one in the afternoon. I voiced this to them and they said that they didn't get hungry often. They never seemed to be hungry. They never ate in the cafeteria. They always bought food, but all of it was always present on their tray when they threw it away at the end of lunch.

They were also able to carry multiple bags at the mall without seeming to strain themselves. We had gone to every store in the mall, which meant we acquired many bags to carry around. I was having a lot of trouble carrying mine, but they seemed to have no problem with theirs. They had to have been carrying at least ten bags each. I had never seen someone do that before with such ease.

"Sorry. We planned it out a while back, but it wasn't until recently that someone suggested you tag along," she said a little sincerely. I bet any money that 'someone' was Angela. Angela always had my back. We didn't hang out after school much, but we were always calling each other at night to catch up on things. Many times, dad had to tell me to get off the landline because of how late it got. She was a true friend and I promised myself I wouldn't screw up my friendship with her like I did with Mandy.

"It's fine. So, should I meet you at your car?" I asked her.

"Yeah, that's fine. See you then," she confirmed and then ran off to class. I was a bit happy that I was invited. No one at my old school in Arizona invited me, though I gave them a reason to stay away. I felt included and I was excited about the trip.

* * *

"Toni."

A hand placed itself on my shoulder and squeezed ever so slightly. I turned around in my chair and faced Edward. I was sitting with Angela and grew sheepish when I heard her quietly squeal. I blushed and ignored the stares I was receiving,

"Hey, Edward," Bella said enthusiastically. "Did you want to have lunch together again?"

"No, sorry," he said with a close-lipped smile. "I wanted to speak with Toni."

I stood up and gestured for him to lead us out of the cafeteria. I was nervous about what he wanted to talk about. We were on good terms, and I was scared he was going to change his mind. We stopped in front of the glass doors, giving us a view of the inside of the cafeteria.

"It's not that," he denied with a shake of his head. I looked away in embarrassment and made eye contact with Bella. For the last few days, Edward had been ignoring Bella. She was very angry when he brushed her off at lunch the other day and when we got home, she wouldn't shut up about it. When we made eye contact, she smirked and proceeded to whisper in Jessica's ear. They both laughed and looked at me. I was put off by their actions and curled in on myself. It was obvious they were whispering about me.

"I heard about your trip to Port Angeles," Edward said.

"What about it?" I asked suspiciously.

"I just want you to be careful."

"What kind of trouble could I possibly get into?"

He smiled and my heart fluttered.

_Damn him and his perfection._

"A lot, actually," he said under his breath.

"I'll be fine. I'll be with the girls the entire time. You don't have to be all over me every time I go out."

"I apologize if I come off as if I'm hovering. I feel overprotective of you," he said intensely.

"I'll text you when I get there and when I leave, okay?" I said. He nodded his head and I held out my hand. He placed his phone in my outstretched hand and I added my number to his contacts. "Text me so I have your number."

"You don't have your phone on you?" he asked.

"No. I put it in my locker. Otherwise, I'd be distracted in class," I explained.

"That makes sense. Have fun today, then."

* * *

"Hey, Toni. Ready to go?" Angela asked me as we started to board Jessica's car.

"Yeah. I'm ready to make you the most stunning female in the room at prom," I told her while smirking. She blushed and looked away shyly.

"Aren't you going to look for a dress?" she asked me.

"I am, but I have an idea of what I want to wear. Besides, I might not go. I'm still debating it."

She smacked my shoulder and said, "Tyler asked you! And so did that kid, Aaron, from our English class! Go with one of them!"

I rubbed my shoulders.

"Ow! They aren't my type. Tyler is too cocky and Aaron's eyes linger in certain places way too much," I replied.

She rolled her eyes.

"Or you could be waiting for a certain someone to ask you."

I looked at her like she was crazy and asked, "Who?"

"A certain single Cullen."

I sighed.

"Yeah. If only."

Bella chose that time to say something. She was sitting in the front seat next to Jessica; Angela and I were sitting in the back seat.

"Edward isn't going to prom, so don't get your hopes up," she said rudely.

"And you know this how?" I asked.

Her face grew red as she said, "I asked him to go with me and that was his response."

"So he rejected you?" I asked with a hint of amusement.

"It's not a rejection if he isn't going," she insisted before she faced the front again.

"Why are you buying a dress if you're not sure if you're going?" Angela asked, ignoring Bella's outburst.

"I don't like to bother Bella about catching a ride. I'll just buy a dress today and if I don't go, I'll either return it or find a different occasion to wear it to," I said.

We arrived at the dress shop and lumbered out of the car. I shot Edward a quick text and shoved my phone in my pocket. We split up to look for our dresses. Bella was the only one who opted not to look. Jess was the first one to find a dress and try it on.

"Does this dress make my butt look too big?" Jessica asked.

I looked up from one of the many racks of dresses I was inspecting to examine the dress she had on. Although I wanted to tell her it was a great dress, it wasn't very flattering. The color didn't go well with her skin tone and the shape of it didn't accentuate her main feature: her boobs. Not saying everything else on her was bad looking, but she had great boobs.

"I don't really like that dress on you Jess, especially the color. Try something pink," I recommended. She nodded her head while looking in the full-length mirror in front of her.

"You're right. Do you think maybe I should get something, I don't know, sexier?"

"If that's what you want. Prom _is_ Monte Carlo themed," I said. She went back into her fitting room to try on a different dress. Angela came out in a lavender dress with lines crisscrossed over her chest. It suited her small frame and I could tell she like it; she was admiring herself in the mirror and smiling to herself.

"It's beautiful, Angela," I said, catching her off guard. "You should get that one."

"You think so?" she asked shyly.

"Totally. Ben is going to die when he sees you," I teased her. Jessica came bursting out of her dressing room and asked if the hot pink dress that she had on made her boobs look good, and I agreed wholeheartedly. It had a slit down the middle of the chest area, so it showcased a lot of side boob. She admired herself in the mirror and complimented Angela's dress.

As she did that, I looked over to the seating area where Bella was sitting. She seemed distracted and uninterested in helping Angela and Jessica pick out a dress. She had a piece of paper in her hand and she was constantly looking down at her phone.

"Hey, Bella," I said to get her attention.

"Yeah?"

"Is something wrong?"

"No, not really. There's just this bookstore I really want to check out," she said. Even though Bella was a total diva most of the time, she was very smart for age and loved to read books. It was one of the only hobbies of hers that I liked. Books were one of the areas we could get along in.

"Oh. Well, I'm sure we can go to it after we're done here."

Just then, a group of guys walked by and knocked on the window of the dress shop that was located right by the dressing rooms. Angela and Jessica got embarrassed and I flipped them off in annoyance. I looked at Bella and saw that she was hiding her red face. We made eye contact and she pointed to her piece of paper, indicating that she wanted to go.

"Hey guys, I want to check this bookstore out. You don't mind if I go, do you?" she asked us. We assured her we didn't mind, told her to meet us at the restaurant, and watched as she went off on her own. Any other time I would've gone with her, but I wanted to be social tonight.

* * *

"Where is she?" Jessica complained loudly. We were waiting outside the restaurant we were supposed to meet at and Bella still wasn't there. I was getting antsy and a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach appeared. Maybe letting her go on her own wasn't such a great idea.

"You guys should go in and eat. I'll go look for her."

"You don't even know where she is!"

"Yes, I do! She told me before she left," I lied. I had no idea where she went, but I figured that there couldn't have been very many bookstores in the region. All I had to do was ask someone.

"Okay," Angela said. "Just hurry back."

I nodded my head and turned around. I walked a little down the sidewalk, turned right, and immediately set out to find someone for directions. When I found someone who knew of a few bookstores in the area, I thanked them and made my way towards the closest one.

As I walked down the cracked sidewalk, I rubbed my hands together and shoved them in my pant pockets; I had forgotten my coat in Jessica's car and it was getting cold outside. It was getting dark, as well. The ground in front of my feet was barely visible, but I persevered through it. Honestly, she owed me big.

I finally found the bookstore, but it was closed. I turned around and started walking around the area; maybe Bella got lost or something. As I rounded a corner, a group of guys suddenly entered my vision. The closest one to me grabbed my arm and pushed me down. I cried out as my butt hit the cold, hard concrete. I looked up and saw that they were circling me like vultures waiting for their next meal. I was scared and I wanted to cry so badly.

"Hey, baby."

"Where ya headed?"

"Got someone to meet?"

"Maybe she's meeting some of her friends. Think we could make this a party?"

"Yeah, sugar. Think we could make this a party?"

I was scared of what could happen, but I was angry that they were taunting me. I spit on the ground by their feet and said, "Go to Hell, you monsters."

They grew angry and one of them kicked me in the side. I cried out in pain and clutched the injured area. My side was on fire and it felt like he may have broken one of my ribs.

"What was that, bitch? You got something to say?"

They kicked me again and again and again. I felt tremendous pain all over; so much, that I couldn't hold back my tears. As the salty tears dripped down my face, they laughed and congratulated each other for the pain they caused me. They acted like it was a game they were playing and the one who caused the most pain was the winner.

"She's really pretty."

"I don't know about that."

"So beautiful......."

One of them placed their hands on my pants zipper, and I immediately started fighting back; I couldn't think about the pain in a time like this. He slapped me and seized the opportunity by pulling down my zipper.

"Don't! Please, don't!" I yelled out while thrashing about. I sobbed out and connected my fist to someone's head. They cursed and punched me back. They hit me too hard and my vision blacked out for a second. I felt someone on top of me and I started to blackout. Suddenly, I felt the extra bodyweight lift off me. I silently thanked whoever or whatever for relieving me of it before I passed out.

* * *

**Unknown P.O.V.**

I grabbed the one closest to me and threw him against a brick building. I was enraged. How dare they try to take advantage of someone weaker than them. They were all going to pay, and pay they shall. I smirked as every one of them begged for mercy, begged for something that they were never going to get. Their screams filled my ears, and although I wasn't one for violence, I loved the sounds of their unheard pleas for help.

I knew I had to finish things quickly for the girl's sake, so I wrapped things up and took her to someone I knew would help her the best. As I ran with her in my arms, I smelled a familiar scent engulfing her frame and smirked.

Edward.

I sensed him nearby, probably looking for this girl. Instead of waiting for him, I ran to the Cullens' house. The girl needed medical attention and he was taking too long. He'd be angry, but I had to do what was best for the girl. Fortunately for Edward, he caught up to us.

"What happened to her?" Edward asked, concerned.

"She was ganged up on by a group of guys," I answered. "Why weren't you with her, Edward? Your scent is all over her."

"I was helping out her sister. I figured Toni wouldn't like it if I let her sister remain lost," he said through gritted teeth. "Alice called me and told me she had a vision Toni got hurt. I rushed over here as soon as I could."

"You helped her sister but not her?" I questioned incredulously.

"I was keeping tabs on Toni all night. She was fine when I went to help Bella. I thought she would be fine for a few minutes," he said frustratedly.

"The world is a dangerous place, Edward, and humans are fragile. Keep that in mind."


	18. 18

**Toni's P.O.V.**

When I woke up, my body ached all over and I was in an unfamiliar room. I was laying down on a makeshift hospital bed, and the room was dimly lit by a few candles set about the room. It was a monotonous room bathed only in white and held only a chair in one of the corners of the room, which was occupied by Edward. I placed a hand on my forehead as it pulsed with pain from looking around and groaned in pain.

"Edward?" I asked in confusion. I wanted to know why I was there and why he looked so serious. He immediately got up and made his way beside me. He took ahold of one of my hands with both of his and kissed the top of it. His golden eyes looked haunted and I felt the need to comfort him.

"Edward, what's wrong?"

"How are you feeling?" he asked me instead of answering my question. It annoyed me, but I went along with it.

"I feel like I got hit by a bus," I told him with a small smile. I thought he would laugh, but he didn't.

"I need you to be serious, Toni. No joking around."

I sighed. In truth, it did feel like a bus hit me. My head hurt badly and my ribs felt like they were split in two; and that's exactly what I told him, more or less. He lowered his head to my hand and breathed in deeply.

"I'm so sorry, Toni. I should've been there. I didn't- I didn't know you went after Bella. If I would have known-"

"What are you talking about Edward?" I asked him. He picked his head up and looked me in the eyes. Then, he concentrated very hard on something and realization graced his features.

"You don't remember."

I looked at him confused. Was he talking about the accident that got me in this situation?

"Remember what, Edward?" I asked him.

"It's- we'll discuss this later," he said before moving towards the door and opening it. A second later, a woman strolled through the door. She had pale skin and gold eyes, just like the rest of the Cullen's. She had blonde hair and she looked around my age, maybe a bit older.

"Hello," she said. "My name is Cecilia. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hey," I said confused.

_Who is this woman?_

"She's a family friend," Edward said grimly.

"Come now, Edward. Don't be like that. How would Carlisle react if he heard you acting that way towards me?"

I examined the woman as they bickered back and forth. Her hair was long and healthy, her eyes were wide and full of mirth, her nose was small and delicate, and her lips were full. She was beautiful; all her features fit perfectly on her face and she held so much confidence and grace.

_I wonder if she's close to Edward._

"We're not close, not like that," Edward said disgustedly.

"Would it really be so bad if we were?" Cecilia asked him jokingly.

"Yes, it would," Edward said bluntly. I rolled my eyes at them and groaned out loud.

"If you guys are going to argue, then go somewhere else. You're making my headache worse," I said. They immediately stopped and apologized. Edward excused himself from the room shortly after and Cecilia sat beside me.

"How are you feeling, Toni?" she asked me. I laughed.

"I would say I feel like I got hit by a bus, but you might yell at me."

She laughed lightly but quickly sobered up. She looked me in the eyes and asked, "Do you remember anything that happened last night?"

I shook my head.

She sighed heavily, then said, "I was on my way to see Carlisle yesterday when I heard someone crying out in pain. I followed the noise and saw a group of men surrounding you. They were drunk and you were passed out on the ground. You must have hit your head pretty hard on the pavement."

Tears dripped down my face as I listened to her story. Memories flooded into my head of last night. Why was this happening to me again? What did I do to deserve this?

Cecilia stopped her story and hugged me as I sobbed. She pet my head and hummed an unfamiliar tune. It sounded like magic and it soothed me. Soon enough, my sobbing reduced to crying and my crying reduced to mere sniffling.

"You weren't raped, Toni. I arrived at the scene just in time and carried you here. Even so, I am sorry that happened to you," she said.

"It's okay," I replied while sniffling. I was relieved that none of those vile men touched me in that way, but I was shaken up. Memories of past events flooded my mind and I closed my eyes in fright. The scars of the past always showed up whenever the subject of unconsented sex was brought up.

"You've been through this before?"

I looked up and saw Edward in the doorway. I looked at him in confusion before I realized he could read minds. I swore and tried thinking about something else. I focused on happier memories and soon enough, there were no more bad memories flitting through my mind. The damage was already done, though. Edward stared at me expressionlessly and I started to freak out internally. Did he think differently of me?

"I don't," he said. "I just wish..."

"You can't change the past," I whispered. I cleared my throat and breathed deeply to clear my head. Something was bothering me and I wanted answers. "I have a question for you. I'm sure you know the answer, so don't bullshit me, okay?"

"Sure," he said quickly.

"Cecilia said she was on her way here when she heard me. If she was in a car, she wouldn't have heard me, especially since I wasn't by the road. She had to have been on foot, so why was she walking here from Port Angeles?" I asked. He looked away from me to try to avoid the question, but I went through too much in the past couple of days to deal with his crap. Whenever I brought up something he didn't like, he went silent and I was tired of it.

"Since you can't comprehend my question, I'll reword it. How could Cecilia carry me from Port Angeles to your house on foot? My body hurts and my emotional state is out of control right now," I took a deep, shaky breath, "so if you could please make this easy, it'd be much appreciated."

He sighed, then came to my side and took Cecilia's place, who left the room. He took my hand in his and looked into my eyes.

"Toni, I don't want you to look at me or think of me any differently when I tell you this. It's one of my family's biggest secrets and I need you to promise not to tell anyone else," he told me.

"Of course, I won't tell anyone Edward. I like your family too much to jeopardize my relations with you," I promised. He took in a deep breath, then let it out quickly. He rubbed his hands together and then rubbed his face with them. With a frustrated huff, he stood up and started pacing the room. I watched him pace back and forth with my eyes for what felt like hours before I grew angry. Edward came to a stop and looked in my eyes.

"Toni," he stated, "I'm...my family...we're...we're vampires."

I stared at him for a few seconds before I laughed out loud. It hurt my stomach tremendously, but I couldn't help myself.

_Vampires. Really? Let me guess, werewolves are real too?_

"Yes, actually they are."

I looked up in bewilderment and said, "Are you in cahoots with Jake? It's not funny to joke about stuff like that."

"I'm not joking, Toni," he said seriously. "I am a vampire, and so is the rest of my family."

"S-so Jake was telling the truth. The legends, they're true?" I asked shakily.

"Yes. It's the reason why I can read minds," he answered. My head spun and I clutched it to stop it. There was no way. My friends, the boy I liked, were vampires. I was friends with vampires. I liked a vampire. Nothing made sense, yet everything did. They never ate, Alice and Rosalie could carry large amounts of weight without struggling, they never came to school when it was sunny, Edward was able to get to me from across the lot within seconds, their skin was so cold. I pleaded him with my eyes. I wasn't sure what I was pleading him to do, but I knew I couldn't deal with this right now.

_Don't panic Toni, don't panic. Stay calm. Just stay calm._

But no matter how many times I told myself that, my heart wouldn't stop racing; it felt like multiple hummingbirds were flying in my chest. It was too much; I started seeing black spots cloud my vision, and as I finally blacked out, the last thing I saw was Edward's frightened face.

* * *

I woke up feeling a lot better. I was still sore, but I felt like a newly charged rechargeable battery. It was refreshing and I couldn't help but smile as I stretched my limbs. My side ached in protest, but lying in bed for hours made me stiff, and stretching felt so good. I got out of the bed I occupied with minimal pain and shuffled towards the door. I made my way down four stairs before I remembered where I was, why I was there, and what I had just found out.

The Cullens were vampires.

I leaned against the wall with one hand on the railing. The Cullens were vampires. How had I not noticed that? How could something like that be so overlooked? Was that the reason why the students at school avoided them? Did they notice the difference within the Cullens? I mean, anyone could have _seen_ that something was different, but nobody _knew_ what it was. My thoughts were too overwhelming, so I sat down on the stairs.

If they were vampires, did that mean they drank blood? And if they did, did that mean I was in danger. After that thought hit me, I shook my head ridding myself of it. If the Cullens were dangerous towards me, I'd probably be dead by now. Besides, they were all so nice to me.

I wonder why they hated Bella. Not that I _didn't_ understand why someone would hate Bella, but most of them, especially Rosalie, absolutely loathed her. The things Rosalie has said about her were so...creative. On multiple occasions, I had to remind Rosalie to tone it down.

"Hello, dear."

I looked up quickly to see a woman standing a few steps below me. She had a heart-shaped face accentuated with long, caramel hair. She was shorter than my frame and she had golden eyes and pale skin. She had a motherly feel to her and kindness showed in her features.

"It's nice to meet you, Toni. I'm Esme," she said.

"Hello, Esme," I replied. "It's nice to meet you, as well."

She smiled and beckoned me forward.

"I hope you're hungry. I made you an omelet. I hope that's okay."

I smiled back and walked towards her. She must have been Edward's adoptive mom. She was beautiful and motherly. I was still freaked out about the fact that they were vampires, but the way Esme presented herself made me feel comfortable in her presence.

"Thank you, Esme."

We walked down another flight of stairs before we came to the living room. It was spacious and bright due to the numerous windows that occupied the walls. It was carefully decorated to feel homey, yet look modern. I noticed there was a black grand piano in the corner of the room and when I asked her about it, she said it was Edward's. I was shocked.

"Really?" I asked her. She laughed and shook her head.

"Yes. Edward is very talented, though I'm surprised he hasn't told you about his talents. He usually shows off a lot, especially when we're out running," she responded.

"What do you mean, 'when we're out running?'"

"There are certain things that are enhanced when you become a vampire. One of them is your speed. We're not exactly sure how fast we can go, but we can keep up with cars if that gives you a general idea."

"Wow," was all I could say. She led me into the kitchen where an omelet sat on a plate that sat on a smooth, black table. I made my way to one of the empty seats and quickly ate my meal. I was too hungry to eat slow and I didn't particularly care to show my manners.

"It was delicious, Esme. I didn't know you could cook so well," I said, then immediately apologized.

She waved me off and said, "It's alright."

"It's just, I know you all drink blood, so I assumed that you couldn't eat food."

"We can't eat food. It tastes how dirt tastes to you," she said politely. I nodded my head, taking in all the information. It was still hard to believe they were vampires. They seemed so human, so normal.

They were normal, in a way. They laughed and they smiled, they got sad and they frowned, and most importantly, they loved. Although vampires were depicted as evil villains in movies and books, the Cullens were anything but. In fact, they were nicer than most humans I knew.

"Would you like to watch some television while you wait?" Esme asked me.

"Wait for what?"

"Edward knew you would want some answers to any questions you had, so he asked me if I could keep you company until he got back," she replied.

"Where did he go, if you don't mind my asking?" I asked Esme. It was true I had questions, mainly one, but I couldn't wait there all day; my dad was probably freaking out.

"He took your fainting to our secret negatively, so he went out to deal with his stress. Jasper and Emmett are with him to calm him down," she responded. I nodded my head and accepted her invitation to the TV. I sat down on the couch and turned the station to a bridal show. Esme and I oohed and awed as the future brides tried on dress after dress. Spending time with Esme was nice and I became attached to her easily. After two episodes, the back doors flew open and Edward came into the room.

"Toni," he said.

"Edward," I responded. Esme put her hand on my knee and gave it a few pats before she got up and left the room faster than I could blink. After she was gone, Edward made his way towards the couch and picked up the remote to turn the TV off.

He shifted his body towards mine and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine, Edward. A little confused, maybe overwhelmed, but mainly confused," I responded. The main thing I was confused on was the reason as to why I was allowed to know. Bella had been trying to figure out their secret for who knew how long and they never mentioned anything. She even threatened them the day we were in that accident that she would discover their secret.

"I can hear the question in your mind, Toni. Just ask me."

I took a deep breath, and asked, "Why was I allowed to know the secret? I understand that we're friends, but a secret this big is only meant for family."

"I can't tell you that yet," Edward said.

"Well, why not," I said hotly. If I was allowed to know the secret, surely, I was allowed to know the reason why.

"It would be too much for you to handle today."

"But-"

"Not today. I promise I'll tell you soon. Just not today," he interrupted me. I sighed loudly and sat back against the couch.

"Fine," I said as I crossed my arms over my chest like a child. I stayed in that position for a bit before I realized how much of a fool I was making myself look like. I sighed, uncrossed my arms, and grabbed the remote to turn the TV back on. Before the TV powered on, Edward took the remote from my hands and turned it off again. I gave him a look of disbelief and he smirked.

"Since we won't be talking, can I at least watch TV?" I asked him hotly.

"I'd rather not listen to the television right now," he responded.

"So, you just want to sit here in silence?"

"For now, yes."

I stuck my tongue out at him, causing him to laugh. Unable to contain my laughter, I laughed, too. I guess it wasn't so bad that they were vampires. If I was this comfortable with all of them, then I guess I could overlook it. They were nice people who shouldn't be hated for what they are. If I could act like animals were human, then why couldn't I act like vampires were human? They were at some point, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cecilia is a character from a character contest I held when I first posted this story. Here's the entry sent in by Alicevbrose on Wattpad:
> 
> Cecilia Mendes
> 
> age: 17
> 
> eye color: grey-blue (contacts ) gold eyes
> 
> hair color: dark brown with purple tips
> 
> skin color: pale white
> 
> species: vampire ( can control elements)
> 
> related: Victoria ( younger sister ) Carlisle ( adopted older brother )
> 
> back story: Is Victoria 's older sister by seventeen human years, at age seventeen while walking home late from her friends a group of drunk teens attacked her by planning to rape her. struggling against them she was stabbed and left her alone in the streets. Carlisle found her almost dead and turned her. Pretends to be his younger sister and likes traveling to different places around the world. Loves London.
> 
> Some things were changed so that Cecilia could be incorporated into the story.


	19. 19

**Toni's P.O.V.**

Edward and I relaxed on the couch for a little as we enjoyed each other's company. No words were needed as we sat in silence. After a while, Cecilia and Rosalie popped into the room.

"Hey, Toni," Cecilia greeted me with a wave. I waved back and smiled at her. I felt at ease around her; like my body was in a sleep-like trance.

"It's her gift," I heard Edward say.

"When you say gift, do you mean like how you're able to read minds?" I asked him.

"Yes. Some vampires carry a potent trait from their human life. I was able to 'read' people very well, Jasper was already very empathetic as a human, Rosalie was already naturally beautiful, Emmett was strong, Esme was motherly, and Carlisle was very compassionate."

"So, what is your gift, CeCe?" I asked her.

"I have an affinity for spirit," she answered. "When I was young, my mother used to practice black magic, voodoo stuff. My sister wasn't very interested in it, but I loved it; I would sit and watch her all day. When I got old enough, my mother started teaching me all about it. I was so good at it, that she called me a natural."

I nodded my head as I committed her story to memory. It was cool to hear about someone having an affinity for spirit. When people talk about elementals, they usually mention air, water, earth, or fire; the ones you could see. Spirit, though, was an affinity that was overlooked by many.

"Toni," I heard Rosalie call my name. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Yeah," I replied to her, then I looked at Edward. "We'll talk later, okay?"

He smiled crookedly. Then he hopped off the couch and left the room. Cecilia followed him after giving me a quick goodbye and yelled something about racing. I turned to Rosalie and waited for her to start our conversation. She came over to me and sat down on the couch.

"How are you feeling?" she asked me.

"I'm okay Rosalie. And yourself?"

"Toni. How. Do. You. Feel?"

I sighed.

"I don't know Rosalie. I'm upset it almost happened again, but being around Esme and Edward helped calm me down," I told her. She looked livid but hid it well.

"What do you mean, Toni? This has happened before?" she asked me. I grew nervous. I hadn't told any of them yet about Dean. He was such an awful mistake and I didn't want them to view me any differently than they did now.

Rosalie seemed to sense my hesitancy and said, "It's okay to tell me, Toni. I'll understand."

"Okay," I said. I rubbed my hands on my jeans, then rubbed them together as I got ready to tell her a story.

* * *

**THREE YEARS AGO - Third P.O.V.**

The room smelled like smoke and alcohol. Some underaged teenagers sat around on couches and a dirty, hardwood floor drinking and smoking pot. Others stood in corners making out or talking with friends. A 14-year-old girl walked into the room, followed by an 18-year-old teen. The dark-haired girl's eyes were a bit red and her breath reeked of alcohol. She stopped and sat down on an available couch cushion. The teen that was following her picked her up and sat her on his lap. She giggled as he put his face in the crook of her shoulder and started kissing her skin.

Across the room, a few teenagers sat watching the girl as her neck was bruised by her boyfriend's mouth. They had been eyeing her since she had arrived at the party and they were hoping that since Dean was their friend, he would let them get in on the action. Soon enough, they got fed up watching them and walked towards the pair.

"Yo, Dean," one of them said. Dean stopped his activities on Toni's neck and looked up at his friend.

"Sup, man," Dean answered.

"We were wondering if we could have a little piece. You know we haven't gotten any action in the past month," the other said while grinning at Toni.

"Hmm. What do you say, Toni? You up for it?" Dean asked his girlfriend. Toni, who was still slightly alert, shook her head. Even if she was drugged up and a little high, she knew how bad it sounded. She wasn't into that kind of stuff. When she agreed to be Dean's girlfriend, she never agreed to share.

"C'mon, Toni. It'll be fun."

"I said no, Dean," Toni said. She made a move to get up, but Dean pulled her back down. He stood up and threw her over his shoulders. Toni screamed at him to put her down, but he didn't listen. She tried to gain the attention of the teenagers around her, but they were too far gone to realize what was about to happen.

Dean carried her into a separate room and flung her on the empty bed. A couple of seconds later, two of Dean's friends emerged. As they shut the door, Toni closed her eyes and prayed it would be over soon.

* * *

**Toni's P.O.V.**

"It was my first time with Dean; I had wanted to wait, so I held off on sex. I should have known what a bad person he was, but I just- I just wanted love. Though my mom would never admit it, Bella was her favorite and she had just started seeing Phil at the time, so I felt so alone. I just wanted love," I said as tears rolled down my face.

"Sh, sh," Rosalie hushed me, "everything is okay. Everybody makes mistakes; it's natural human behavior. We just have to learn from those mistakes."

"I know, I know, but I didn't. It happened a few times after that and I let it happen. I was crushed that I had lost it like that and it broke me. I was scared every single time they did it, but the difference between the first and the others was that I learned to just get through it."

"No one should have to do that."

"I did, though. I wanted help, but I didn't want to tell my mom or Bella or the authorities. It was too personal and I didn't want to be labeled as something I wasn't," I told her.

"Toni-"

"Sorry to interrupt, but we have a problem," Emmett interrupted Rosalie. Rosalie looked up at him in irritation, while I hid my face in embarrassment. I didn't want all of them finding out about Dean at once and I feared Emmett had heard everything.

"Bella's outside. She knows."


	20. 20

**Bella's P.O.V.**

When I arrived at the bookstore, it was almost closing time. It was a small store that had a woodsy feel to it and was owned by a Native American. I searched the shelves quickly before I came across the book I wanted to buy. I purchased the book and went on my way to find the restaurant. Because it was getting dark and there weren't very many street signs around, I was lost and struggling to find my way back. While walking, I thought about all that had happened lately. When Edward approached me and asked me to sit with him at lunch, I thought he had finally taken an interest in me. I was wrong.

He wouldn't stop asking about Toni. What is Toni's favorite food? What does Toni like to do in her spare time? Has Toni ever been in a relationship? What does she look for in a guy? It rubbed me the wrong way. He'd ask me the question first and then ask about Toni's answer. He wasn't trying to get to know me, he was trying to get to know Toni. As pathetic as it sounds, I continued to entertain him. I figured he would lose interest in Toni eventually and pursue me. I was wrong again. As soon as he made up with Toni, he ignored me.

My train of thought was interrupted by the sight of headlights. I looked up to see a silver Volvo making its way towards me. I immediately recognized the car and sighed dreamily at the thought that Edward came to rescue me. He stopped the car and got out.

"Bella, are you lost?" he asked, concerned.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"Toni mentioned you were going to Port Angeles with her. I assume since she, Jessica, and Angela are nowhere to be found, you are lost," he explained.

"What are you doing in Port Angeles?"

"I had to grab something for my sister."

He gestured for me to enter the car and I did so gladly. He got in the driver's side and sped off. He had the heat blasting and the car was warm.

"I think it's warm enough in here," I said as I reached for the dial. Edward reached for it at the same time I did and I pulled back from the cold intensity of his skin. He apologized quietly and turned the heat down. It was silent in the car and I felt awkward. I cleared my throat and said, "You should probably slow down."

His driving slowed down a little in response, but it was still way over the speed limit.

"You should put your seat belt on," I tried again.

"_You_ should put _your _seat belt on," he said. A couple minutes later, we stopped at the restaurant Toni, Angela, Jess, and I were supposed to meet at.

"How did you...?"

At that point, Angela and Jessica walked out of the restaurant. When they saw me, they smiled and walked up to me.

"Hey, where were you? We were going to wait, but...," Jessica trailed off.

"We were hungry. Sorry, we didn't wait. Where's Toni?" Angela asked. I looked at her strangely.

"What are you talking about?" I asked her.

"Well, Toni said she was going to look for you a while ago, but we haven't heard from her since," Angela said uncertainly.

"What," Edward snapped.

"She said you told her where you were going, so we figured she would be alright," she explained. At that moment, Edward's cell phone rang. He immediately picked it up.

"What is it Alice?" he asked into his phone. Edward grew somber and ended the call. He rushed towards his car without saying anything.

"Where are you going?" I shouted at him.

"I have something urgent that I need to do. I'm sorry for leaving like this, but I must be going. Have a nice night Bella, Angela, Jessica," Edward said before entering his car and driving off. I watched after his car until I heard Jess say that it was rude that he exited like that. I agreed silently by shaking my head. I looked down in my hands to gaze at the book I bought. I was finally going to discover what he and his family were and no one was going to stop me.

Angela and Jessica asked me if I wanted to grab something to eat and I agreed wholeheartedly. I was excited to discover what really made the Cullens different, but my stomach was loudly growling. After stopping at Wendy's, Jess dropped me off and as soon as I got through the door, I ran up the stairs. I entered my room and shut the door so I wouldn't be interrupted by Charlie. I sat in my desk chair and turned on my computer.

I was so focused on the Cullens that Toni was far from my mind. She wasn't as important as the breakthrough I was about to make. Toni and I never got along growing up. We were civil, at best. It always felt like a competition between the two of us, especially since she was always trying to one-up me. For instance, my mom put me I ballet and although I wasn't good at it, it was fun. When she was old enough, Toni begged our mom to put her in the program and our mom obliged. Toni was great at it and quickly grew to be one of the instructor's favorite students. I remember thinking about how unfair the whole situation was.

As my computer booted up, I searched through the book I picked up. It was a book filled with old legends about vampires. The thought of the Cullens being supernatural creatures sounded ridiculous at first, but the way they acted was ridiculous. They never ate, Edward could move very fast, and all of them had the grace of a ballerina, even the big one!

I typed in my suspicions on the web and got excited. The images and the stories that popped up were extraordinary! They were creepy, I had to admit, but the happiness and the smugness I felt overruled that creepiness. It was crazy! I wondered how old they were as so many questions circled in my head about the endless possibilities. I wonder if I can become like them. Were they born that way, or were they changed?

I needed to confront them about it.

I jumped out of my desk chair and stalked towards my bedroom door. I ran downstairs and grabbed my jacket from the hallway. I put on my shoes and opened the front door. I was in the middle of closing it when a hand grabbed it and opened it.

"Where do you think you're going?" Charlie asked.

"I'm going to a friend's house," I replied.

"Not at this time of night," he said. I rolled my eyes discreetly. Who was he to tell me what I could and couldn't do? I sighed in frustration and changed my tactics. I smiled sweetly at him and said, "I just want to go see Toni. I'm worried about her."

It seemed to do the trick because he walked towards me and threw his hand on my shoulder.

"She'll be okay, Bella. Dr. Cullen reassured me that she ran into Rosalie and Alice and went home with them. She'll be home tomorrow. Right now, you need to go to sleep," he said.

"But dad-"

"Enough, Bella. It is too late to be going anywhere. I'm going to bed because I have to go to work early tomorrow. I'll see the both of you after I get off," he said. Then, he walked upstairs and into his room.

I huffed in frustration and stomped up the stairs, making sure Charlie heard my anger. I laid down on my bed and threw the covers over my head as a smirk made its way on across my face. It didn't matter if I confronted them today or tomorrow; I figured out their secret and I was never letting it go.

The next day, I drove to the Cullens' house. I had to ask Charlie where they lived because I had never been to their house. Carlisle had given him their address in case he needed Toni. Finally knowing their secret was exhilarating and it got my blood pumping. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing considering I was going into a house full of vampires, but it felt amazing, nonetheless. As soon as I arrived at my destination, I jumped out of my old, rusty Chevy and walked up to the front door. Before I could knock, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and found the big one, Emmett, looming over me.

"Is there something you need?" he asked me. I couldn't tell if he was mad or just plain confused about my presence on his family's property.

"I came to see Toni," I replied with a smile. I really wanted in and no one was going to stop me.

"We weren't expecting you. Perhaps you can call later," he suggested. I refused to be denied entry to their house. I was determined to make it known that I knew their secret, and if they didn't cooperate, I would have to do something drastic.

"Listen here, Emmett," I started, "I didn't drive here to play games. I know what you and your family are and if you don't let me in, I'll tell everyone in this small, stupid town."

He gave me a look and left to, what I'm assuming, tell the others about me. I smirked in victory and waited in gleeful silence for his return.


	21. 21

**Toni's P.O.V.**

"We have a problem," Emmett interrupted Rosalie. Rosalie looked up at him in irritation, while I hid my face in embarrassment. I didn't want all of them finding out about Dean at once and I feared Emmett had heard everything.

"Bella's outside. She knows."

"What do you mean 'she knows'?" I asked him. I looked to Rosalie for help, but soon realized I would receive none. She looked angry and I knew if Bella didn't leave soon, I would become an only child.

"How did she find out!" Rosalie screamed as she flew out of her seat and started pacing back and forth in front of me. Emmett, who looked paler than he usually was, went over to comfort her.

"I'm not sure, Rose. She didn't elaborate. All she said was that if she wasn't let in, she would tell the town our secret. What should we do?" Emmett asked. "Edward and Cece are out hunting, Carlisle is at work, Esme is at the store, and-"

"We came as fast as we could."

We looked up to see Alice and Jasper enter the room. Alice looked frantic and Jasper looked as mad as Rosalie. Rosalie stalked towards Alice and gripped the front of her shirt in her hands. She immediately let go, though, after Jasper let out a warning growl.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Rosalie asked angrily.

"Jasper and I were already in Port Angeles when I received the vision. My gift isn't used to Bella yet, so my visions come a little late when she is involved," she explained. "As soon as I had it, we raced home."

"Did anyone contact Carlisle?" Jasper asked. All of us shook our head 'no' and Jasper sighed in frustration. As they tried to find a solution, I stressed about the situation. Nobody was happy she found out about them. Would they try to hurt her? They were protective of their secret and Bella was challenging them, threatening to expose them. I threw my head back against the couch in frustration. Why didn't she ever think before she acted? Just then, Edward and Cece burst through the back door. Edward and Cecilia were a blur as they ran towards me and the rest of the Cullens, respectively. I welcomed Edward's comforting arms and snuggled up against him as he rubbed my arms and joined the conversation.

"How did she find out?" he questioned. I wanted to know that, too. I couldn't even figure out their secret, but I guess I wasn't really trying.

"I'm not sure. Anything could have tipped her off," Alice said. I tried to think back to a time when she would have been tipped off and immediately thought of our time at the reservation.

"I think I might know why," I said out loud. They looked towards me as they waited for me to elaborate.

"When Bella and I went to the reservation for the bonfire Mike set up a couple of months back, we saw our childhood friend, Jacob Black."

As soon as his name left my mouth, realization dawned on everyone.

"We went on a walk together and he told Bella and me some of the Quileute legends to try and scare us."

Rosalie scoffed as Edward muttered something about stupid dogs.

"We should have known they wouldn't be able to control the younger ones. Who even knows how many other people they've told!" Rosalie exclaimed.

"Enough, Rosalie."

I turned to see Carlisle and Esme entering the room through the back door.

"It is a part of their history, which allows them to indulge the children once in a while," he finished.

"Carlisle, what are we to do about this?" Cecilia asked.

"We'll talk calmly with Bella to gather everything she knows. This doesn't have to end badly," he addressed her. Then he directed his attention to me and said, "Toni, what do you think is the best approach to take?"

"It's best to let her get everything off her chest. She has a habit of beating around the bush instead of being direct," I answered.

"Why don't you go and collect Bella, then," he said. I agreed and got up from the couch. As I was leaving, I heard Edward ask, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"I'll be okay, Edward. I'm a big girl."

I walked down a flight of stairs and towards the front door. I opened it to find an annoyed and impatient Bella drumming her fingers on the house beside the door. When she saw me, she smirked.

"I told you I'd find out," she said proudly. I was too tired to argue with her, so I opened the door wider, moved to the side, and made a sweeping motion with my hand and arm. She smirked once again and entered the house. I followed her as she went up the stairs and into the living room. The atmosphere was tense and it set me on edge. I wasn't sure what was to come, but I knew I wouldn't like it.

When we walked into the living room, all the Cullens' faces were devoid of emotion except for Carlisle's and Esme's. I saw surprise color Bella's face as she glanced at Cecilia, someone she hadn't known existed until now and I saw as her eyes lit up when she saw Edward. She waved excitedly but stopped once she realized he wouldn't greet her. It was silent for a while before Carlisle spoke.

"Hello, Bella. How are you doing today?"

"How do you think I feel?" she asked. "I just found out the legends are true."

I saw a couple of the Cullen's roll their eyes, which caused me to giggle. They found it amusing, but Bella did not.

"This isn't a joke, Toni! How could you keep something like this from me?" she yelled at me. I flinched at her yelling as I remembered what happened the last time we argued. It wasn't my fault. I had just learned of the secret, so how could I have told her? I would never betray the Cullens like that, anyhow. I felt Cecilia try to use her gift on the entire room but Carlisle placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

"Bella, please calm down. Why don't we discuss this without raising our voices," Esme suggested. Bella bristled at this but ultimately agreed.

"Okay. Why don't we all have a seat on the couches then," Carlisle suggested. I sat on the end of a couch with Edward beside me and Bella sat on the other side of him. Opposite of us sat Jasper, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie in that order. Carlisle, Esme, and Cecilia opted to stand since they were the peacemakers.

"Now, why don't you tell us what you know Bella."

Bella made sure all eyes were on her before she said, "I know that all of you are older than you let on, I know that none of you are human, and I know that all of you are vampires."

Rosalie jumped out of her seat in outrage. She went to lunge at Bella, but my voice stopped her.

"Rose, please don't. I would rather not see anyone get hurt today."

She nodded and sat down again, accepting Emmett's comforting arms. The tension in the room was thick, so thick I could taste it. I was scared of the consequences that would follow this meeting. I felt my heartbeat increase and my breathing became shallower. My thoughts were racing so fast that I was scared I would have another episode, but soon I felt calm and relaxed. I looked at Edward, but he shook his head. Suddenly, I remembered Edward telling me that Jasper could control emotions and I looked towards him. He inclined his head towards me and I mouthed a 'thank you' to him.

"What are we to do Carlisle? Clearly, this is a problem. Having one human know is risky enough, but having two is a death wish," Cece said.

"Yes, what are we to do Carlisle?" Bella muttered mockingly.

"Leave your nose out of our business," Rosalie hissed.

"I'm pretty sure your nose wouldn't be that way if you weren't a vampire," Bella shot back. I bristled as she insulted my friend. Why must she go to such lengths to feel superior to others? It wasn't hard to have a conversation without rude words and gestures.

"Enough, Bella," I said. She stared at me in disbelief, surprised that I wouldn't take her side in her petty argument. Like I would take her side when she was in the wrong.

"You're not mad they kept this from us?" she asked incredulously.

"I'm not upset because they didn't have to tell us!"

"Yelling really helps Toni," she said sarcastically.

"I'm yelling because I'm frustrated, Bella. Why can't you stick to yourself for once?!"

"I could say the same to you, you whore!" Bella screamed. Things were heating up fast and I knew I needed to calm down, but I couldn't. I felt a calming sensation take over me, but then I heard Cecilia's voice say, "Stop Jasper. They need to work this out before we can get anywhere."

"We all know that if I hadn't been monitoring you all these years, you would have slept with at least six guys by now," I said. I immediately regretted my words. It wasn't my intention to let my emotions get the best of me, but I couldn't hold them back when she was stooping so low.

"Yeah, well at least I didn't kill anybody!" Bella shouted, and the room got quiet. My eyes widened considerably and I felt like crying. Bella looked proud of herself, but I felt sick to my stomach. I felt someone touch my shoulder and turned to see Edward.

"Love, what is she talking about?"


	22. 22

**THREE YEARS AGO - Third P.O.V.**

"If you go, I'll tell mom."

"Doesn't matter to me," Toni said. She was standing in front of the bathroom mirror while applying lipstick. She was getting ready for a party, one of Dean's parties to be exact. It was supposed to be the biggest one yet and Toni was hoping tonight would be the night Dean finally said the three magic words. Sure, she was only fourteen, fifteen in a few months, but she felt nothing but love for him. He had put her through Hell and back, but she couldn't help but love him regardless.

As she exited the bathroom, her phone beeped, signaling that she had a message. At the same time, she heard a beep from outside. She cursed Dean in her head for making his presence known; she didn't want her mom to start a losing argument. She quickly ran down the stairs to the front door. Before she made her way outside, she checked her phone. It was a text from Nathan.

It read: I need to talk to you tonight.

She scoffed, shut the front door, made her way to Dean's car, and ignored Nathan's text. She wasn't in the mood to argue with him for the fifth time this week. All she wanted to do was have fun. Dean immediately greeted her with a kiss when she entered the car and she returned it with a smile on her face. Dean made her happy and she didn't want to give up her happiness.

"Are you ready for the best night of your life?" Dean asked her.

"Definitely."

They walked into the abandoned warehouse together and were greeted with smoke, alcohol, blaring music, and lights that bounced off any surface they touched. Dean spotted his friends talking in a corner with some girls and pulled Toni with him as he made his way towards them. Dean bumped fists with his friends, while Toni smiled at the girls hanging around the area. She grimaced as a few of them stole some not-too-sneaky glances at her boyfriend. Dissatisfied, Toni linked arms with Dean and smirked as the girls glared at her. Her smirk was wiped off her face when Dean pulled away in annoyance.

"Babe," Toni whined, as she pulled on his arm. She didn't like that he was avoiding her affection and she didn't like the fact that he wasn't paying attention to her. He pulled away from her again, and yelled out a "what?!"

She cowered away from him and pointed towards the makeshift dance floor. Multiple people were brushing their bodies against each other and it intrigued her. Out of all the parties she had been to, she had never danced at any of them. Plus, she wanted to show Dean that despite her age, she was mature enough to be his girl. He sneered at her and turned down her offer.

"How about you make yourself useful and get me and the guys some drinks."

She sighed and agreed to do it. She weaved in and out of people and stopped at a table that sat under different types of alcohol. It was chipped and had a plethora of scratches embedded into it. On the floor beside it was a cooler filled with cans of beer. As she made a move to take some, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She took it out and saw a text from Nathan.

It read: Toni, please stop ignoring me.

She rolled her eyes and went back to the task at hand. She grabbed as many cans as she could and hoped she had enough. When Dean came into view, she immediately became angry and stopped. Latched onto the very same arm she had pulled was a woman with dull, red hair, who was laughing with her head thrown back and had her fingers wrapped around his bicep. She glowered at the obvious woman and started walking again.

"Hey, babe," she said when she was in front of Dean. She handed out the beer, having grabbed just enough and focused her attention on the woman. She felt like she had to remind him he was with her.

"Hi, I'm Toni," she said as she held out her hand. The woman scoffed at her and ignored Toni's hand.

"Maybe you didn't hear me, but my name is Toni, Dean's girlfriend, and I don't appreciate you hanging off my man like a cheap whore!"

The woman couldn't believe what the teenager had said to her! She raised her hand and slammed it down on Toni's face. She felt accomplished as Toni fell to the floor. She thought it was over and went to claim her prize, but what she didn't count on was Toni to retaliate. She fell forward as Toni pushed her from behind. A fight broke out between them and partygoers immediately took notice. They circled around them and watched on as the younger girl straddled the other. Dean, who had had enough, picked Toni up and dragged her outside. He was tired of being embarrassed by her. Toni struggled against him and was relieved when he let go.

"What's the matter?" she asked him a bit angrily. She was still pumped as adrenaline ran through her veins from the unfinished fight. She wasn't one to hit someone else, but she knew she had to fight back if someone hit her.

"What's the matter with me? What's the matter with you?!" he screamed. "What were you thinking when you jumped her?!"

"You saw her! She hit me first!" Toni yelled back. She was appalled that he was taking her side.

"I don't care what she did! You completely embarrassed me out there. What do you think my friends are going to say when they see that I can't control a hormonal teenager?!"

"I am your girlfriend; who cares what they think," Toni screamed in frustration. She pulled at her hair as she shook with anger. Why was he so quick to point fingers at her? She was defending her position as his girl. Sometimes she wondered if he even wanted her by his side and she voiced this concern.

"Do you- do you even love me?" she asked him as tears gathered in her eyes.

"Love? You think I love you?! How could I ever love a person like you?"

"W-what? I don't understand," she replied shakily. He shook his head in disbelief and threw his hands on his hips.

"This is why I can't be near you 24/7. You always need someone to repeat themselves; you always need reassurance. Guys don't like that. You need confidence; you need an ego. You're not independent. You're far from it. You're like a baby; you always need affection and attention," he explained. She sniffled as he looked down at her.

"What? Are you crying?"

She said nothing. Instead, she stared at the grounds so she could avoid his gaze.

"You're pathetic, Toni," he said before he walked away. She stood there for some time in self-hatred. How could she be so stupid? How could she fall for someone like Dean?

No matter how long she degraded him in her head, though, she couldn't help but feel bad. No matter what she told herself, she still loved Dean. She had spent a year of her life with him, a year she would never get back. And in truth, she had become dependent on Dean. He had made her feel special, wanted, and loved when they first started dating, and she clung to that.

She shook her head as she tried to empty her mind of negative thoughts. She couldn't think like that; she had to be positive. She took a deep breath, raised her head up high and strutted towards the door that would lead to amazing chaos inside.

"Toni, can we talk?"

She stopped and her eyes grew in size as she heard his voice. What was he doing here? She turned around and saw Nathan standing a few feet away from her.

"What are you doing here?! Are you stupid? Crazy?!"

Nathan shook his head.

"You've known me for how long and you still don't understand my determined nature?"

Toni rolled her eyes, scoffed, and started walking off. She stopped when Nathan called out to her. She turned around and folded her arms across her chest.

"Nathan, you shouldn't be here. I want you to leave. Now," Toni demanded. She didn't understand why he showed up to the party. They had been drifting apart since Dean came into the picture, but they still saw and talked to each other from time to time. Every time they talked, Toni made sure she was coherent. There was only one time Nathan had seen her drunk. He had flipped on her and called her irresponsible and dumb. After that, she made sure he was nowhere in sight when she began her reckless behaviors. She didn't need countless reminders of how stupid she was acting.

"I'm not leaving, Toni," he said stubbornly. "I told you I wanted to talk to you."

"Yeah, well I thought you would have taken a hint and left me alone," Toni bit back. It was a bit ironic how he labeled her reckless, yet there he was at one of Dean's parties.

"Ignoring someone isn't a good enough hint."

Toni sneered at him in distaste.

"Yeah, but it's a hint, nonetheless. Get out of here before Dean comes and kicks your ass," she warned him. She knew she was being rude, but she didn't want another fight to break out between the two. The first fight was horrendous. Dean had obviously won and Nathan was sent to the nearest hospital with a black eye and a broken nose. Toni had never cried so much in her life.

"I don't care what Dean does, Toni," Nathan said in frustration. "I just- I came to get you out of here."

Toni looked at him incredulously. There was no way she was leaving Dean alone with all those skanks hanging off of him. She lifted her head towards the sky and stared at the stars. She wanted to get Nathan out of there before he was hurt, but she really didn't want to leave. She knew she was being selfish, but she also knew that if she left now, Dean wouldn't be hers anymore.

"Nathan, I'm sorry, but I'm not leaving with you," she said. She spun on her heels and made her away back inside the building. She stopped and started searching for her boyfriend and finally spotted him sitting on a couch with his buddies. She smiled and walked his way, but was stopped by a hand resting on her shoulder. It twirled her around to face Nathan. Toni sighed and opened her mouth, but Nathan was having none of it.

"I need to talk to you, and I am not leaving until I do."

"You can't make me talk to you!"

"I can at least try."

"Fine! Fine," Toni shouted. "Say what you want and leave."

Nathan visibly gulped and asked, "Here? In front of all these people?"

"No one is paying attention to us, so spill."

"Ok," Nathan agreed nervously. He cleared his throat and wiped his palms on his jeans.

"Ok. I wanted this to go smoother and in a place much quieter and... cleaner."

"Just spit it out!"

"I love you, Toni."

Toni's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped.

"Wha- what?"

"I know I told you I liked you, but I was lying. I've been in love with you since eighth grade, okay? I love you, which is why I need you to leave with me tonight. I know you care about me, too, so let's just leave. What do you say?"

"Nathan, I don't-"

"What the fuck are you doing here?!"

Toni whirled around and set her eyes on a furious Dean. He was making his way through the crowd of people while glaring at Nathan so much that she was afraid Nathan would burst into flames. People moved out of his way and watched in anticipation. Nathan said nothing as he stared at Dean with a blank expression. He was a bit scared, but he was determined to steer Toni away from Dean. Dean was bad for her and Nathan couldn't understand why she couldn't see that.

"I'm here to talk to Toni," Nathan replied. His body language showed confidence; his eyes showed fear. Dean laughed loudly. He was amazed that Nathan would try to step to him, especially after the last time they saw each other. He thought Nathan would have known better.

"Is that so?" Dean taunted Nathan.

"Yes. I-"

"I don't care," Dean interrupted. "I'm going to tell you this once: Stay away from my girl."

Nathan laughed quietly, though not quiet enough as both Dean and Toni heard him. Dean narrowed his eyes and started to stalk forward.

"Dean, wait," Toni said while placing her hands on his chest. Dean harshly brushed her off and did nothing as she fell to the ground. A few partygoers laughed at her and told her to stay out of it, but Toni wasn't listening. Dean gripped the front of Nathan's shirt with one hand while the other reached behind his back. Toni freaked out as she saw a glimpse of a gun in Dean's waistband. She scrambled to her feet and ran towards the two males. She took hold of Dean's arm and started pulling on it desperately.

"Get off of me, you stupid bitch!" Dean yelled as he fought to get his arm back. Toni was holding on too tight, so he dropped Nathan and used his, now free, hand to hit Toni across the face. She fell to the ground for the third time that night and watched helplessly as Dean pointed his gun at her friend. Gasps erupted from the crowd and many people moved away from the trio. Some of Dean's friends cheered him on and Dean made a show of it; he turned his back to Nathan, raised his arms in the air, and shouted. Toni turned her attention to Nathan and conveyed with her eyes for him to go. He nodded slightly and started getting up, but one of Dean's friends caught the movement.

"Looks like someone's trying to get away."

Dean turned and stomped his foot on Nathan's chest, disabling his movement.

"Where are you going?" Dean asked mockingly as he looked down at Nathan. Nathan wheezed as it was hard to breathe under so much weight. He tried to break free, but it was no use; he was stuck. Dean aimed his gun at Nathan's head again and laughed as terror made its way into Nathan's eyes. He saw Nathan quickly look to Toni, and say, "I love you," which only made him laugh harder.

"You think she loves you?! You think that after everything Toni and I have been through, she would pick you?" Dean asked incredulously.

"There's no way in hell Toni would pick you. You're weak, boneless, and quite frankly not her type. She needs someone like me. Someone who can protect her, someone who can show her the better things in life, and you can do none of those things."

"Enough, Dean!" Toni shouted. "I may not be in love him, but I care for him; a lot. He's my best friend. I know it may not seem that way, especially with the way I've been acting lately, but it's the truth. So please, please put the gun away."

Dean's face morphed into one of disgust and anger. He walked up to her and grabbed ahold of her face. He squeezed her cheeks together hard and said, "You care for this little shit?!"

When Toni said nothing, Dean screamed at her and demanded she answer him. She finally nodded her head in fear.

"Ok," Dean said while pushing her face away from him. "We'll see how much you care for him."

He ordered two of his friends to grab the alcohol from the table and ordered another to watch over Nathan and Toni as he went to his car to retrieve something. When he left the room, Toni started running towards Nathan, but was held back by Dean's friend.

"I'm so sorry, Nathan," Toni said with wet eyes. She wasn't sure what Dean was up to, but she knew it wasn't good.

"Everything will be fine, Toni," he replied. He knew something was going to happen, but he didn't want to see Toni cry. He would try to be strong. For her.

"We both know that's not true," she said. "God, why didn't you listen to me?!"

"Just like I can't dictate your life, you can't dictate mine. It was my decision to stay."

"But-"

"Alright," Dean interrupted as he entered the room. He set something down by the door and walked towards the group of people. "Let's get this party started!"

By now, his friends had retrieved the alcohol. Dean made his way to them and took the bottles from their hands. He slowly walked up to Nathan, stopped when he was in front of him, and opened the alcohol.

"Hey pretty boy," he said. "Have you ever had a drink before?"

"Why would I?" Nathan retorted.

Dean laughed and told him, "Well, you're about to."

He dumped the burning liquid all over Nathan and laughed as Nathan sputtered and complained.

"How was your first drink?"

"Quit messing with him, Dean!" Toni yelled.

Dean looked at her and said innocently "Quit messing with him? But I'm not even finished yet."

Toni watched as he strutted over to his mysterious object and carried it over as it leaked. Toni's eyes widened as a can of gasoline made its way into view.

"Dean-"

"Shut your fucking mouth, Toni! If I hear another word come from your mouth, I'll shoot you," Dean threatened. Toni immediately closed her mouth.

"If you loved the drinks, you're going to love this," Dean said right before he poured the thick liquid all over Nathan. Nathan gasped and coughed as some of it made its way into his mouth. He couldn't breathe well and he started to panic. Tears leaked from Toni's eyes as she watched on. She wanted to do something, but every time she tried to help, someone held her back.

"I told you to quit, Nathan, but you just didn't listen," Dean taunted as a smirk graced his facial features. It quickly went away as he said, "Now we're going to see how much she cares about you."

Dean put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a lighter. Realization crossed the faces of partygoers in the crowd and they started running out of the abandoned warehouse.Toni watched, horrified, as he lit the lighter and threw it on Nathan with no remorse. Toni and Nathan's screams mixed together as his body burned. The fire trailed towards the door and started igniting the building; the whole place was going down in flames. Toni dropped to the floor and cried hard as her best friend flailed about. She didn't know how to help him, though she desperately wanted to.

Dean quietly stood and watched for a few moments before he made his way to Toni. He leaned down so his mouth was level with her ear and said, "If you cared about him so much, you wouldn't have let him die," before he ran towards a window and made his escape.

Toni scrambled to her feet and started looking for some water, a fire extinguisher, anything to help Nathan. She felt none of the flames as they licked at her sides as she searched for something to help him. She screamed in agony as she found nothing to ease Nathan's pain. She made her way back to Nathan and saw through blurry eyes that his movements had ceased.

"No! No, no, no, no, no, no..."


	23. 23

**Toni's P.O.V.**

"Toni," Edward said sadly. He rubbed his hands over her arms to try to soothe her, but she was too far in her memories.

"I stayed with him until the ceiling started to collapse. I, at least, had enough common sense to get out of there before I perished, too," she said. "I can't believe I left him."

"If you had stayed, you would have died, too," Rosalie said.

"I left him!" Toni screamed. "I shouldn't have left him!"

"You can't blame yourself for something someone else did," Carlisle calmly told her.

"You tried to help him, Toni. There's only so much you could have done," Esme said. Toni let their words sink in as she breathed in deeply and let it out.

"What I don't understand is why you and your sister think you're a murderer," Jasper said.

"I was sitting outside of the building with burns all over my arms when the police and the fire trucks arrived; apparently, someone had called them about it. I was the only one who could tell them what happened, and I wasn't coherent enough to answer their questions. I kept muttering that it was my fault, so they took me in after I was treated for my burns at the hospital.

A few people from the party came to the station and told them Dean did it, but the damage was already done. Rumors about me killing Nathan spread around the school and everyone believed them. I was labeled as Nathan's killer and on many occasions, I was sent death threats and mean letters. I stopped attending school because of them and had to switch to cyber school. I finally decided to get away from it all and move up here."

"You're not a killer, Toni," Edward said. "It's all in your head."

"Maybe it is, but I still feel extremely guilty," I said. The room was silent. Everyone was mulling over my words, except Bella who was glaring at me. I still didn't understand why she couldn't be at least a little sympathetic. Don't get me wrong, I hated pity, but Bella never showed her support for me. When she had found out about what happened she looked at me like I was the worst person on the planet. She wouldn't go near me for some time and she refused to speak to me. Mom was worse. She tried to show her support, but it was all a façade. She wore a pretty smile and a sympathetic face, but flinched away from me and kept me at an arm's distance.

Bella was kind of like that growing up. She tried to spend as little time as possible with me. When we were little, even though I hated spending time with her, too, I had hoped that we could get closer by doing activities together. When Renee signed Bella up for ballet, I wanted to sign-up, too; I had wanted to take it with Bella to grow closer to her. In the end, Bella grew to resent me because I was a smidge better than her at it and both of us quit after a few years.

"What are we going to do about Bella?" I asked them. I tried to divert their attention to something else. Bella sucked her teeth and gave me a look.

"What do you mean, 'What are you going to do about Bella'?'" she screamed. "There's nothing you can do about me."

Rosalie muttered something under her breath and was immediately scolded by Esme.

"Rosalie! You know that that is not an option."

"What's not an option?" Bella asked.

"I don't think-" Carlisle started, but was cut off by Rosalie.

"Killing you and making it seem like an accident," Rosalie said innocently with a smirk. Bella clenched her teeth together and bared them at the blonde vampire.

Of course, we would never do that, Bella," Carlisle said reassuringly. Bella rolled her eyes and sighed. She folded her arms across her chest and started tapping her foot on the floor.

"Why are we even discussing this?" Bella asked. "My findings are fate's way of telling us that I'm exactly where I should be."

CeCe scoffed and walked toward Bella.

"Why would we want someone like you in our family?" she sneered while pointing a finger towards her. "Your soul is toxic."

"My soul is toxic?"

"It's dark and filled with hatred, jealousy, and anger."

"How would you know what my soul looks like?"

"You don't need to know how. Just know that I would never accept you as a part of this family," CeCe told her bluntly.

"Who are you anyway? I've never seen you around the Cullens before."

"Let's not argue," Carlisle said.

"Cecilia has a point, though," Jasper argued. "Bella came to our doorstep and threatened to expose us. Although I think it is best if we watch over her to make sure she doesn't expose us, I don't think we are entitled to spend time with her."

"I agree, as well," Alice spoke up. "We'll do nothing but argue. On the other hand, I've seen some of the outcomes of disregarding her, and none of them are options."

"I understand that all of you may feel some resentment towards Bella, but we need to think rationally," Carlisle said. "I think the best solution, for now, is to keep watch over Bella. This weekend has been very eventful, so I think it is best if we come back to this problem another time."

"So, this means we'll be having lunch together again, Edward," Bella said excitedly. I sighed. Even though Bella was my older sister, she acted like a child a lot. This secret that the Cullens hold dear to them is nothing to play with, yet Bella thought it was all a game. She only wanted to get close to them because the idea of being a vampire and the idea of being with Edward forever sounded appealing.

"Yes, Bella," Edward answered wearily.

"Then it's settled," Carlisle said. Everyone dispersed from the room except Edward, Bella, and me. I was still curled up against Edward and I wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon.

_Can you stay still for a bit?._

Edward chuckled at my method of communication and curled an arm around my shoulders. He pulled me closer to his chest and allowed me to nuzzle into it. I breathed in his scent and briefly wondered if there was a specific cologne he used.

"It's not cologne," he informed me. I craned my neck to look at him and gave him a questioning gaze.

"Every being on this planet has a scent that is given to them when they are born. Sometimes humans can pinpoint their own scent, but very rarely do they ever recognize another's scent. Vampires, on the other hand, rely on scents to recognize each other. It's very helpful, especially when dealing with a crime."

"A crime? I don't understand," I said confusedly. "Vampires have laws?"

"Yes. They are very sacred and any law broken can lead to death."

"Why do you have them, though? Can't you just do whatever you want?" I asked.

"It's not that simple. You can do whatever you want as long as it doesn't cause suspicion among humans. Most of our laws revolve around keeping our existence a secret. If humans were to know we existed, there would be chaos and war," he explained.

"Makes sense," I said. "You said most of them revolve around keeping your existence a secret. What about the other ones?"

Edward was about to say something when he stopped and glanced at Bella. I honestly had forgotten she was in the room. She was listening in on our conversation and was frustrated when Edward stopped.

"Keep going," she ushered.

"I'm not sure this is something I should be sharing with you, Bella. I've already given away too much," he answered her.

"But you're going to tell Toni, aren't you?" she asked angrily.

"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, Bella, but this is information I should be sharing only with certain people," he apologized.

"Whatever," Bella said. "Where's the bathroom?"

* * *

**Bella's P.O.V.**

After Edward gave me directions to the bathroom, I stomped away from them. I was completely annoyed with Edward and my sister. It wasn't fair that Toni was allowed to know and I wasn't. I was just as involved as she was, so it didn't make sense for him to withhold information from me. I wanted to know the laws, too. I rounded a corner in the house and finally spotted the bathroom. I grabbed the handle but refrained from opening the door. I could hear hushed voices coming from behind the door across the hall, so I crept up to the door and placed my ear on it. I could hear two people, a male and a female, arguing about something. I heard my name being used, so I stayed put.

_"How could Edward put us in this situation?"_

_"Calm down Cecilia. It wasn't his intention to bring harm to this family."_

_"You must see the difficulty in this situation, Carlisle."_

_"Cecilia-"_

_"Edward is too young to resist her blood. He shouldn't even be around her!"_

_"You know he can't avoid her, especially with the situation with Toni."_

_"Bella is his blood singer! He craves her blood, yet you want him to be around her?!"_

_"Cecilia please calm down."_

_"I don't-"_

The door suddenly opened and I started falling before someone caught me. I looked up into Carlisle's disappointed eyes. I looked to his right and saw Cecilia glaring at me with enough fury to light a house on fire.

"It would do you best to leave before something happened to you," she growled out.

"I wasn't-"

"You know what I hate more than spineless, pathetic scum? Sneaky rats."

"Cecilia," Carlisle said as he put a hand on her shoulder. His strained and cautious eyes met mine and I was taken aback by how much distrust was within them.

"I think it's best if you leave, Bella," he said.

"I was just going to use the bathroom," I told him.

"I meant to leave the house. There's been enough drama for the day and I think you've overstayed your welcome."

I stared at him in disbelief. Carlisle was supposed to be kind and sympathetic to everyone. Why was I the exception? A scowl made its way onto my face and I breathed in deeply to calm myself. If they wanted to go that route, then fine. I smiled at them and made my way downstairs and out the door.

* * *

**Toni's P.O.V.**

"So, about those other laws," I said after we watched Bella storm out of the house.

"Curiosity seems to be a common trait you and your family hold," Edward said with a laugh.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly. "I'm not trying to come on too strong, I just like knowing more about you and how you live your life."

"It's okay," he said as he smiled. "Another law that we must uphold deals with werewolves."

"Werewolves?" I asked.

"Yes, werewolves. Children of the Moon, to be specific," he confirmed.

"Are there different types of werewolves?"

"I've only heard of two types, so I'm not exactly sure. Children of the Moon are the obvious werewolves that Hollywood portrays in the movies, though the ones in the movies are a bit more coherent," he elaborated.

"How do you mean?"

"Children of the Moon are normal people until around the time the full moon comes out. During the night of the full moon, they transform into wolves, for lack of better terms, and go on a rampant killing spree. They lose their human consciousness and are irrational in this form. When the night is over and they transform back into their human form, they have no recollection of what they did."

"How do you know all this?" I asked him. They sounded like terrifying creatures and I wasn't keen on the thought of Edward being around them.

"I've never seen one before, but the Volturi, the leaders of our world, have," he answered. "One of the queens of our world, Didyme, was killed when the Children of the Moon attacked the Volturi centuries ago. Children of the Moon usually don't form packs, but they did that night and almost destroyed the Volturi. Many members were lost and one of the kings, Caius, was injured heavily. After the attack, the kings, Aro, Caius, and Marcus, issued a hunt to kill all Children of the Moon. They were supposed to have been hunted to extinction, but many vampires think that there are still some alive."

"That must have been devastating for them," I said sympathetically. I couldn't imagine losing someone to such a horrendous attack.

"It was," he replied shortly.

"You said the Children of the Moon were like the ones Hollywood portrayed. Why didn't the Volturi kill them with silver bullets?" I asked. Edward chuckled and started petting my hair.

"I'm not trying to scare you, love, but silver bullets don't work on them."

"I don't think it worked," I said as I laughed nervously. "I guess humans aren't as high up in the food chain as they thought they were. Any other laws I should know about?"

"There is another set of laws, but it goes along with why you are allowed to know, so I'll wait to tell you those," he said.

"Can I at least get a hint?" I asked. He hummed as he thought of what to say.

"It deals with special people," he said mysteriously.

"Special people?" I said critically. "That's all I get?"

"For now, yes."


	24. 24

**Toni's P.O.V.**

When Monday morning rolled around, I was nervous and happy. I was nervous because Bella would have to spend time with us, especially after Saturday. The Cullens were still angry at Bella for learning their secret and for threatening to expose them. I was happy because Edward was picking me up for school. I learned that I liked spending time with Edward and I that I liked it when he talked about his life. His face lit up every time he talked about something and it made me happy to see him happy.

I think the weekend's events helped my relationship with him. I am, in no way, ecstatic about the unfortunate event that occurred, but it did have one positive outcome: Edward had become more protective of me and he had been around more than he ever has. I knew the reason he was being so protective was because of what happened, but I hoped he didn't distance himself once that overprotectiveness faded away. After picking out my outfit for the day, I made my way to the bathroom. I started to open the door but halted in my actions as soon as I heard the shower running. I groaned and turned my back to the door.

Bella.

I forgot that she had to ride to school with us for now on. I wished she would have driven the truck. I wanted to talk to Edward about certain things and I knew I couldn't do that with her in the car. I sighed and trudged back to my room to wait for my turn to shower. About 10 minutes later, I heard the bathroom door open and I took my chance to freshen up. After I was done, I went back to my room to grab my backpack and jacket and headed downstairs to eat breakfast. Bella was already sitting at the table munching on an apple. As soon as she saw me, she sneered in disgust and turned to look out the window. I sighed, made some cereal, and sat down at the table.

"I don't know why you insist on riding with us to school," I heard Bella say.

"Bella," I said, "we need to get along these next few weeks. Please, for both of our sakes, be civil."

"I am being civil. I just don't understand why you won't allow Edward and me to have some alone time," she sniffed out.

"If Edward wants some alone time with you, he'll say that," I said frustrated.

"He-"

Bella was cut off by a knock at the door. She rushed to the door as I stood up to put my dishes in the sink. I assumed that Edward was at the door, so I grabbed my jacket off the kitchen chair and made my way towards them. When I arrived at the door, I saw an uncomfortable Edward and a smiling Bella. Edward caught sight of me and smiled.

"Good morning, Toni. I hope you slept well," he said.

"I slept fine, Edward," I replied.

"So did I," Bella said.

I smiled in amusement and asked, "Are we ready to go?"

* * *

"Are your features enhanced because you turned?"

I had a major headache from the day's events and Bella was not helping. She was the reason why I had a headache. Bella and I were constantly asked about what happened in Port Angeles by Jessica. I had already called Angela and let her know what happened. She understood and didn't hold a grudge against me. Jessica, however, wouldn't let it go.

Bella kept rambling on and on all day about the excitement of becoming a vampire. I could see the benefits of becoming a vampire; I would be able to run fast, I would be able to live through many years' worth of evolution and adaptations, and I would seem more beautiful. But there were many cons, too. My appearance would virtually never change, I wouldn't be able to go out in public on sunny days and feel the sun's warmth on my skin, and I would have to drink blood.

Beside me, Edward made a sound of agreement and gave me a weak smile. We hadn't been able to talk throughout the day, especially since we shared zero classes. I knew he wanted to talk to me about the situation just as much as I wanted to talk to him about it.

When I was around Edward, I felt something. I felt warmth and safe and at home. I couldn't explain the connection we had, but I knew Edward could. I had been dying to know what it was we had, but Edward was holding back. Was he afraid I would be frightened away by the information? I remembered the conversation we had when I awoke from unconsciousness a few days back. I sighed and leaned my head against my hand. I felt a nudge on my side and looked over at Edward.

"Soon."

I silently agreed and went back to listening to Bella annoy everyone. Rosalie was fed up with Bella's ignorance and Jasper seemed to be affected by it as he was glaring at the wall. Alice seemed okay, maybe a bit uncomfortable, and Emmett was just trying to console Rosalie.

"Can you keep your voice down," Jasper hissed in annoyance. "Someone might hear you."

"No one is going to hear me," Bella argued. "I'm not even talking loud!"

"Even so, this is no place to be conversing about it," Edward spoke up with a frown marring his face.

"Edward is right, Bella," I said. "I know you are very excited about this whole situation, but it could cause trouble if someone were to overhear you."

"No one is going to hear me. No one sits at the tables surrounding us," she snorted.

"Bella," I scolded.

"I've had enough of this!"

The cafeteria grew quiet and the students in the cafeteria watched as Rosalie stormed out of the cafeteria.

"I'm going to go talk to her," Emmett said before he rose from his seat and went after her. I sighed and silently shook my head. I felt Edward put his arm around my shoulders and give them a light squeeze. I looked at him with troubling eyes and said, "This isn't going to work."

"It's going to have to. We haven't come up with a better solution and we need to make sure our secret stays a secret. It's bad enough you know it, but with Bella, it complicates things completely," Edward explained.

"Why is it completely complicated if I know the secret, but it's only slightly complicated if Toni knows the secret?" Bella asked hotly. I was wondering the same thing, as well.

_'Why am I so important that I am allowed to know?'_

"I told you, I'll tell you soon. Now is not the best time to bring it up," he answered a bit frustrated. Maybe I was bothering him about it too much, but I was really curious.

"I think now is a perfect time," Bella said.

"Bella, please, let it go," Alice pleaded.

"Why? I just want to know what is so special about Toni," she said sarcastically.

"Don't start, Bella," I said warned.

"Is it because you like her?" Bella asked.

"That's not it," Edward said stoically. I could feel his hand turning into a fist as it laid on my shoulder.

"Bella, stop," I demanded.

"Or maybe it's because her blood smells better than mine-"

"Bella, please," Alice said.

"-but I know that isn't true because I'm your blood singer," Bella finished. Before Bella was even finished, Edward stood up loudly, gaining the attention of the other students in the cafeteria and left. I sat there stunned at the news.

_Blood singer? What is that, Edward? Are you and Bella connected somehow?_

I knew I wasn't going to receive an answer, but I wanted to know. I looked to Alice for help, but she just shook her head. I then looked at Jasper but decided not to ask as his jaw was clenched and his eyes were dark, glaring orbs.

"What does that mean, Bella?" I asked her with a tinge of exhaustion tainting my voice. "I mean, what is it; a blood singer? And how did you find out?"

"I overheard Carlisle and Cecilia talking about it the day I came over. It means Edward and I share the same fate. It was destiny that led us to each other," she said with a cocky voice. I dropped my head and shook it in protest over and over again. That didn't make sense.

"What does the term mean, though?" I asked with my head down.

She huffed and said, "It means my blood sings for Edward, hence the name. It calls out to him."

"But I-"

"You, what?" Bella asked. I looked up at her with sadness glowing in my blue eyes.

"You thought Edward was yours? I told you before, but you didn't listen. Edward needs someone better suited for him, I share a connection with him. Why do you think I've been fighting with you about it for so long?"


	25. 25

**Toni's P.O.V.**

My classes after lunch went quickly as I paid little attention to my teachers and more to my thoughts. What Bella told me was unbelievable and I couldn't stop mulling over her words. My anxiety grew each passing minute and the memory of Alice's grim expression that had etched into my mind didn't help either. I just couldn't understand. I felt something the first day I met Edward. I didn't immediately love him the first time I saw him, but I felt something that perhaps rivaled love.

I never thought I would find someone that I would consider being in love with. With Dean, there wasn't any real love. I think I was obsessed with the idea of an older boy giving me attention and obsessed with the idea that someone might have eyes for only me. I might have even been craving love that I wasn't getting at home.

I had never been in a relationship before I started dating Dean. I was completely naive and I had no clue as to what an actual relationship should look or feel like. Dad and mom hadn't been together long enough for me to observe how a couple should act and Phil hadn't entered the picture until after I met Dean. The only 'real' relationships I had observed were on shows broadcasted on television and everyone knew those relationships were scripted to the max.

Looking back on it, I didn't love Dean; the love I held for him was too extreme and corrupted by his actions and words. I had ignored my consciousness and morals and decided to obey every suggestion and rule Dean laid out even though I was met with no love.

I think I was more in love with the idea of Dean. Before I met him, I was a great student that couldn't and wouldn't even think about breaking any rules. Save for a few things I did because Amanda pressured me into it, I was a pretty good kid. Dean was the complete opposite of me. He was on the verge of failing most, if not all, of his classes and he had had a habit of breaking the rules to anger people. He was everything I wasn't and I didn't want to be me anymore.

With Edward, as time went by, I started to realize that I liked him. I didn't like the idea of him and his looks or his money. I didn't like his popularity, whether good or bad, with our peers. I liked _him_. I liked the way he smiled when he was happy, I liked the way he was confident in himself, I liked the way he made sure I was comfortable, I liked how comfortable I felt in his presence. It completely blew my mind how fast it happened. That was why I was still so confused and conflicted about the situation at hand.

The bell signaled my last class of the day and with a huge sigh, I got up from my seat and exited the room. I made a quick trip to my locker before I trudged my way to Edward's car. Hopefully, Edward would be there, and hopefully, Bella wouldn't open her mouth during the car ride.

When his car came into view, I saw Edward leaning against it with an aggravated expression marring his face. Bella was standing close next to him, trying to get his attention. She was pushing her lips out to form a pout that went unnoticed as Edward faced a completely different direction than she did. When Edward saw me, he straightened out his form and gave me an apologetic, crooked smile.

"I'm sorry I abruptly left lunch today," he apologized. I waved him off with my hand and made my way to the opposite side of the car.

"It's okay. I understand you might have been a bit peeved by the whole thing," I told him with a small smile of my own.

"Well, I was a little upset that you left," Bella complained. "I wanted to talk more about-"

"Nobody cares, Bella," I said in a bored tone. "Can we just leave?"

"Sure," Edward said and then proceeded to get into the driver's seat.

As I opened the front passenger's door, a hand gripped my arm and pulled me back. I came face to face with a smirking Bella, who gestured towards the back seat.

"I think I'll take shotgun. It's only fair since I rode in the back on the way here."

"Whatever, Bella. It doesn't matter to me," I surrendered. I moved from the open door and climbed into the back seat. Edward started the car and maneuvered his Volvo through the parking lot and onto the main road. I could tell by the way the scenery blurred past us that Edward was speeding and I was never more grateful for it. The usual fifteen-minute drive only took five minutes and soon enough, we were parked outside of the house. I started getting out, but I was stopped by Edward.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" he asked me. I shrugged my shoulders and sat back down.

"Bella, do you mind if I speak with Toni alone?" he asked her after she wouldn't leave the car.

"Anything you say to her can be said to me," she said stubbornly.

"I understand that. However, I would like to tell Toni this alone as it is a very important and special matter," Edward countered.

I sighed and said, "Just let her stay. She's not going to leave anytime soon and I would love to take a nap."

Edward closed his eyes, took a few seconds to collect himself, and then looked directly at me. He twisted in his seat a little to gain better eye contact with me and then took a deep breath.

"Toni, I want to explain some things to you."

"Go on," I said trying to coax whatever was bothering him out.

"What Bella said at lunch, some of it was true. Bella is indeed my blood singer and we indeed share a bond, but the way she explained it wasn't right," he said while pleading with his eyes. I couldn't understand why he was pleading with his eyes. I was going to listen and patiently wait for him to fully explain.

"A blood singer is someone whose blood sings for a vampire. Their blood indescribably smells good and is very hard to resist. Many vampires believe that a blood singer is a gift from some higher being to congratulate us for keeping the food chain stable and it isn't unlikely that a vampire feels a 'pull' of sorts to their blood singer," he explained.

"So, Bella is more or less a body created to satiate your thirst," I said while trying to keep my emotions in check. I was failing the whole patience thing.

"No. Bella is a human being that just so happens to have appealing blood," Edward quickly said.

"Is my blood the same way?" I asked him in curiosity.

"While your blood and even Charlie's blood smells appealing, it isn't as strong as Bella's."

"What about our bond?" Bella asked. "I explained that part right, didn't I? I was pulled to your presence because of it my first day at Forks."

Hesitantly, he said, "No, not really."

"The only thing our bond does is 'pull' me towards you, and you towards me. The basis of our bond is nothing more than desire, temptation, and survival. Some vampires say that the blood makes you stronger after you drink it, but it can't be proven."

"What!" Bella shouted while running her hands through her hair. "That can't be true! I felt it!"

Edward closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Many humans feel they are 'in love' with us due to our appealing nature, but it is merely lust. The 'pull', in your case, made that emotion stronger."

"How do you know?" Bella demanded.

"Emmett came across two of his blood singers, yet Rosalie is his eternal wife, his mate. Unfortunately, he drained both of them," Edward said with a grimace. As Bella threw a fit, I pondered over his words. Bella and Edward didn't share a 'lover's' bond, but that didn't explain my bond with Edward.

"I knew I should have done this without her," I heard Edward mutter quietly to himself while placing his hands over his face. I honestly felt bad for him.

_What about us?_

Edward looked up immediately and gave me his famous crooked grin.

"We share a special bond, Toni," he told me. Bella quieted down as I sucked in a breath and looked into his eyes with hope.

He chuckled to himself and said, "You are the reason I exist in this world, Toni. You are the reason I remain sane in my hellish world. I was made specifically for you, as you were created specifically for me. To me, you are the reason the sun peaks over the horizon every morning and the reason why the stars shine at night. You are mine, as I am yours."

"No," Bella breathed out. I held my breath as I waited for him to utter the last of his words that would crush any doubt running through my head. I knew what was coming, and he knew I knew what was coming. With his eyes full of warmth and his mouth curved into an actual smile, he uttered five words.

"You are my mate, Toni."


	26. 26

**Toni's P.O.V.**

"You are my mate, Toni."

I was rooted in my seat by surprise and astonishment. I couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth and yet, I could. It all made sense now!

"I'm your mate?" I asked him just for clarification. He huffed out a laugh and smiled widely.

"You don't believe me?"

"I-I do. It's just unbelievable," I told him. And it was. Who would have ever thought that I would be the mate of a vampire? None of it, the supernatural that is, ever existed in my world until I moved to Forks. Sure, people hoped that vampires existed so they could live out their fantasies, but no one had evidence that they truly existed.

"I don't believe you," Bella said.

And just like that, the smile on my face washed away. I forgot she was still in the car. She had tears in her eyes that she tried to hide by wiping them away. I didn't know what to do. It must hurt to see the person you like to be interested in someone else. I should have been more sympathetic, but the way she acted at lunch made me rethink comforting her. I sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged me off and turned away from me.

"Bella..."

"Don't 'Bella' me. I should have known you'd do something like this to me," she said. She sniffed and took off into the house. I put my hands over my face and rubbed hard. No doubt, she'd cause trouble and Charlie would once again be in the middle of our bickering.

_I didn't mean cause so much trouble._

"It's not your fault, Toni," I heard Edward tell me.

"Yeah, well Bella doesn't see it that way," I said. "Usually, I try to help her out. I guess I'm just fed up with her attitude."

"Don't let her get to you, love," Edward said. He got out of the car and opened my door for me. I got out and he enveloped me in a hug. He kissed the top of my head and said, "I have to go discuss things with Carlisle. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

I leaned my head against his shoulder and nodded my head. I pecked him on the cheek. I detached from him and entered the house. I should have known that having Bella around 24/7 would not be easy. I opened my eyes and tried to think over what I was going to say to Bella before I got to her room. I tried to open Bella's door, but it was locked.

"Bella, open the door."

"Why, so you can rub the fact that you are Edward's mate in my face?" I heard her say.

"I just want to talk, Bella."

"No. Go back to the attic where you belong!" she yelled. My face morphed into a grimace as I stepped away from the door. I left the hallway and made my way to my room. I stepped into my room and plopped myself on the bed, sighing in frustration and closing my eyes. After a few seconds, I got fed up with the silence that roamed the house and walked towards my stereo and my CDs. I picked out a Dario Marianelli CD. His music started flowing out of the speakers as I walked over to my desk and sat down. I pulled out some art supplies and started sketching whatever came to mind. After about twenty minutes, I realized I was drawing a picture of Edward.

I smiled and gazed at the picture fondly. It was nowhere done, but the foundation of it was already drawn, allowing me to already understand what it was. I heard Bella shout downstairs and cringed. I opened my bedroom door and heard her voice drift up the stairs. She was angrily talking to our mom, complaining about me and asking her to talk to me.

I closed my door and tried to continue drawing, but her voice grew louder and louder until I couldn't take it anymore. I slammed my pencil down on my desk and immediately stopped drawing. I closed my eyes shut and massaged my temples. I shook my head and abruptly stood up. There was no way I was staying in the house to listen to her shout. I grabbed my jacket and put it on, grabbed my phone and placed it inside of my jacket pocket, and ran down the stairs. I went out the backdoor and into the trees behind the house. I stuck to the trail that was run into the ground after going on long hikes as a child so I wouldn't get lost and hummed as I walked.

The forest was thriving with life, birds were chirping, and every so often I would catch a glimpse of a rabbit or a squirrel. As I trudged on, my feet started to hurt. I spotted a huge boulder a few hundred feet in front of me and made my way towards. I climbed it and sat so my legs were hanging off the edge of it. I was only resting for a minute when my phone rang. I took it out of my pocket and answered the call.

"Hello?" I answered.

_"Toni, where are you?"_

I groaned and dropped my head so my chin was touching my chest. I didn't want to talk to Bella.

"I'm out."

_"Stop messing around. Charlie wants to know where you are,"_ Bella said.

"I'm taking a short hike through the woods. Tell dad that I'll be back shortly."

_"But-"_

"Goodbye, Bella," I said as I hung up the phone. I came to get away from her and she called me. After hanging up the phone, I noticed that the forest was too quiet. I couldn't spot any animals and none were making noise. I grew tense as I felt someone's eyes on me. Thoughts of danger swirled in my head, scaring me senseless. I stood up, ready to leave, but froze as a voice stopped me.

"Leaving so soon?"

My eyes widened as I took in the man standing before me. He was a tall, pale man with beauty equivalent to that of the Cullens. He wore a pair of jeans with unnaturally frayed bottoms that were held up by a belt and a green jacket that was opened to showcase his ripped chest. He had long, blond hair that was tied into a messy ponytail at the nape of his neck and a bit of stubble on his chin. The thing that threw me off was his eyes which were an intense red color. The only vampires I had seen were the Cullens and their eyes were a golden color. He was silent but held a smirk on his face as he waited for me to finish my assessment.

I was frightened. I didn't know what to do or what to say and I didn't want to do or say the wrong thing and be killed, so I stayed silent. We stood in front of each other in silence for quite some time before he surprised me and spoke.

"You're the first our victims to not ask the three magic questions," he said.

"Three magic questions?" I squeaked out. I cursed myself internally for sounding so helpless. I didn't want to come off as someone who would easily meet their demise, but I was unsure what this vampire would do to me. My heart felt like it would jump out of my chest any moment and goosebumps popped up all over my arms. I visibly jumped when two more people made their presence known.

The first person was another male. He was a tall, dark-skinned man. His hair consisted of long locs that reached past his shoulders and he had a piercing in each of his ears. Like the other male, he wore jeans with unnaturally frayed bottoms that were held up by a belt and an orange jacket that was unzipped to show his chest. He, too, wore no shoes and had blood-red eyes.

The last person was a female. She was pale, of average height, and had long, flaming red, curly hair that reached past her shoulders. Unlike her male counterparts, she was fully clothed. She wore dark, tight-fitting jeans and a green shirt that had see-through, long sleeves. She wore a furry shawl and like the other two, she wore no shoes and had red eyes.

"Who are you?" the blond man taunted as he answered my question.

"What do you want?" the female taunted.

"Why are you doing this?" the blond man taunted again.

"You know I don't like playing with my food, but I wonder why our meal is so silent," the dark-skinned man said. His head was tilted to the side as if he was assessing me.

"What is your name?" he asked me.

I did not respond. I did not want to give them my name or any part of me. I didn't want to entertain them when I knew that they would just kill me in the end. My silence seemed to make the female mad. One moment, she was next to the blond man and in the next moment, she was gripping my chin and snarling in my face.

"Answer him!" she snarled. Pain shot through my jaw as her hold on it became bone-crushing. I struggled to get out of her grip, but she wouldn't let up.

"Victoria," the dark-skinned man said as he gave away the identity of the female. She let go of me and went to stand next to the blond again. I hesitantly rubbed my jaw and winced in pain. I looked back at them and saw they were still waiting for a response.

"My name is Toni," I told them in fear. Tears silently leaked down my cheeks and I wanted to rid of them badly. I knew they would only mock me for my weakness. The female chuckled and smirked as she slowly walked towards me.

"Tony, eh? Isn't that a boy's name?"

"Not the way my name is spelled," I mumbled under my breath. She must have heard me because she let out a screech and walked away from me.

"Let's just kill her already! A pathetic, disobedient human like her doesn't deserve our time," she said

"Patience," the dark-skinned man scolded her. "She intrigues me."

Victoria scoffed and the blond man smirked.

"I am Laurent," he said as he gestured to himself. "This is James," he said as he gestured towards the blond, "and Victoria."

I knew that if I were to speak, I would scream, so I settled with a quick wave in their direction. Laurent laughed in amusement and glanced towards his partners. He sobered up once he noticed James flaring his nostrils.

"She smells like others," James snarled out. Laurent and Victoria sniffed the air and tensed.

"You are correct, James," Laurent said as he furrowed his brows. "It is faint, but still there."

"I knew we should have killed her," Victoria hissed out. She ran to me, grabbed my head, and tilted it to the side to give her better access to my neck.

"She's only going to bring us trouble. I can sense it."

She pricked my neck with her fingernail. I felt a trickle of blood roll down my neck and shivered in disgust when she licked my neck to collect it. James made his way to the two of us and I started to panic. Victoria worsened her grip on my head, causing me to stop moving. I didn't want her to suck me dry, but I also didn't want her to snap my neck.

James hummed and kissed Victoria before he, too, grabbed my head. He tilted my head back and placed his fingers over my pulse. My heart sped up at his touch and I wished that if they were to kill me, they would make it fast.

"I'll get the left side and you can have the right," James said to Victoria.

"Please," I begged.

"Please?" Victoria repeated. She laughed and yanked my head forward so I was eye-to-eye with her.

"Please, what?" she asked. More tears sprang to my eyes and clouded my vision of the three vampires. My mouth was tightly closed and my throat was dry from anxiety. I couldn't answer her even if I wanted to.

"Please, what?" she repeated as she added more pressure on her hold. I screamed silently in protest and tried to pry her hands off me with my own. James took hold of both my hands in one of his and moved them to my side.

"Answer her," he said in a dangerously quiet tone.

"Please, don't kill me," I pleaded hoarsely and burst into tears.

"Doesn't sound very convincing to me," Victoria chastised me.

"No, no!" I cried out as they leaned in to sink their teeth into my flesh. I closed my eyes and thought of something nice, something that could replace the image of the two vampires about to sink their teeth into me. If I was to die, I wanted the last thing I saw to be of something warm and beautiful.

"No!"

I felt them being ripped off me and took a huge breath of relief. I opened my eyes and saw Edward standing in front of me. He was crouched with his knees bent and his arms outstretched. His hands were shaped into claws and he was snarling loudly. Victoria and James were crouched in defensive positions, as well, and Laurent was nowhere to be found. I was pulled back and struggled in the mystery person's grasp. I stopped and relaxed when I caught sight of Esme's face. I pulled her into a desperate hug and silently sobbed into her shoulder. She rubbed soothing circles on my back and reassured me that I was okay.

Behind her was the rest of the Cullens. All of them rushed forward to stand by Edward, except for Carlisle who stayed near me and Esme. He looked concerned and pained at the events. He sighed and said, "Do what you must."

That must have been the signal, for the Cullens rushed forward and chased after James and Victoria, who were fleeing the scene. They immediately disappeared from my sight. I took a step in their direction but was stopped by Esme. I looked at her questioningly and tried to pull away in protest.

"Don't worry, Toni," Esme said. "They'll be fine,"

"How do you know?" I said, my voice thick with emotion.

"There are six of them against the other two. Besides, Jasper has experience with these situations," Carlisle informed me.

"Come," Esme ordered. "Let's go to our house and calm you down."

I agreed and allowed them to pick me up and take me home.


	27. 27

**Edward's P.O.V.**

We were running through the woods towards Toni's location after Alice received a startling and scary vision regarding Toni and three nomadic vampires. It started with Toni sitting on a rock in the forest and ended with Toni getting drained by two of the three vampires. I was scared for Toni's life and I knew that if I didn't get there in time, I would lose her. After the Port Angeles incident, I told myself I would not let her get hurt again.

Seeing her upset or hurt because of something I did or did not do caused me to feel regret and pain. Every time Jasper felt her negative emotions, I winced. I tried to keep everything from her to protect her, but I was doing the opposite. Of course, she was almost completely okay with it, but at the time, I wasn't sure how she would feel. I was a vampire and she was a human, I would live for millenniums and she would die within decades, I was almost indestructible while she was fragile. We were complete opposites, regarding species, and it seemed like our relationship would never work out. I knew that I could turn her and condemn her to this damned life, but I wasn't sure if she wanted to be one of us.

We heard the nomadic vampires before we saw them. They were taunting Toni, laughing as she begged for her life. My fists clenched and I almost let out a growl. I refrained because I didn't want them to know we were coming. I looked through Toni's mind and saw that she was thinking of her dad, my family, and me. She thought she was going to die, so she wanted to see something beautiful before she did. Though I was saddened by her thoughts, I was even more determined to reach her in time.

I saw through one of the vampire's minds, Victoria was her name, that she and her mate, James, were about to sink their teeth into Toni's throat. I ran faster than I ever had and yelled out as I finally reached them.

"No!" I yelled. I saw one of the vampires slink away and surprise flicker throughout the two who had ahold of Toni before I pushed them away from my mate. I crouched defensively in front of Toni and bared my teeth in warning. I was snarling loudly, so loud that I almost didn't hear the rest of my family approach. James and Victoria were crouched in a defensive position, as well, but they were not in a position to fight. My siblings rushed to my side, causing Victoria to become cautious. James was not cautious at all. His thoughts were focused only on getting to Toni. He was frustrated and worried, but not about us. He was worried about ruining a plan and worried about someone else, someone who wasn't present with them, yet was part of their group. The face that popped in and out of James' head seemed familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had seen it before.

"So, we meet again, sister," Cecilia said snarkily.

"So it seems," Victoria cautiously replied.

We stood there sizing each other up, waiting for Carlisle to give the signal. In these types of situations, Carlisle was always the one to decide whether we should fight. All of us knew how he felt about killing another of our kind, but we also knew that he knew sometimes it was the only way.

"We have to do it, Carlisle," I said quietly so Toni wouldn't hear. I didn't want to freak her out more than necessary as I knew she was already shaken up.

"Edward's right. He's not going to give in," Jasper said with a snarl to his voice.

Carlisle sighed before he said, "Do what you must."

We shot after them as they tried to escape our clutches. Victoria was very fast and we had a hard time keeping up with her. James, however, was not as fast as his female counterpart and I quickly caught up to him. I grabbed him and threw him into a tree, causing the tree to break. He got back up and snarled as I stalked towards him. I was going to rip him to pieces and show no mercy.

Jasper and Emmett took up the positions beside me, while Alice, Rosalie, and Cecilia ran after Victoria. James looked each of us in our eyes before he started laughing. Jasper and Emmett were confused as to why he was laughing, but I knew why from his thoughts. He knew he was going to die and he thought we weren't going to succeed in stopping them from the plan they plotted against Toni.

"You won't stop him; you can't," James said. "Nothing will stop him from getting her."

I growled, hissed, and snarled all at once. I had enough with him and his thoughts. I grabbed his head in my hands and started squeezing. Cracks started to form on his face and I took satisfaction in the fear that was shown on his face. I smirked as the cracks grew in size before my own eyes. James started clawing at me and scratched my face a few times before Jasper and Emmett took hold of his arms and ripped them off. He screamed in agony, but I ignored it as Ii focused on ridding him from the earth. I felt his head caving in and knew that I was almost done.

"Have fun in Hell," I said to him as his head gave out and shattered. His body dropped to the ground as it was no longer held up by anything. Jasper and Emmett finished tearing him apart and when they were done, I took a lighter out of my pocket and set him on fire. I tried to find peace as I watched the flames lick at his skin, but I couldn't. I knew that it wasn't over yet and I dreaded what was to come next.

* * *

**Toni's P.O.V.**

When we arrived at the Cullens' house, Esme set me on the couch and went into the kitchen, and Carlisle sat next to me on the couch. I heard Esme rummaging around the kitchen and briefly wondered what she was doing. I thought about Edward and his siblings; I was worried about them. Even though I knew they outnumbered the other vampires, I was scared that one of them would come home injured. I didn't know the extent of their fighting skills and Edward telling me that vampires could be killed did not help. Carlisle interrupted my worrying by placing a fatherly hand on my back.

"How are you feeling, Toni?" he asked me.

"How do you think I feel, Carlisle?" I retorted back. I immediately knew I shouldn't have talked back the way I did and apologized. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disrespect you. I'm just not used to all this and I'm very worried about them."

He smiled in understanding.

"That's alright, Toni," he said. "I understand that this may be a bit overwhelming, especially so with everything happening at once."

"It is a bit overwhelming," I agreed. I wasn't used to the supernatural world and I didn't know if I would be used to it anytime soon. I accepted them, being a vampire didn't change my opinions or perspective of them, but it was scary thinking about what the world really had to offer. I was a human and lived in the human world since birth. Being introduced to the vampire world and getting into situations due to vampires in a matter of days was frightening. Would I be able to handle such things if I dated Edward?

Yes, I would. I already knew the answer to that question. Edward was my mate. Although I didn't have as strong of a pull towards Edward as he had towards me, I felt something and knew that I didn't want to let go. Mates were supposed to be forever if the Cullen couples were anything to go by. They loved each other no matter what they went through and that was what was so appealing about the mating bond, about love.

Love was beautiful, but from my understanding, it could fade away. My mom and dad were in love with each other when they first got together, but as time went by, they started to fall out of love and divorced. Because of that, I was scared to get married; scared to give myself to someone forever. With Edward, I could see myself eventually settling down with him. I could see myself living with him and the Cullens and putting up with anything that came my way.

"Here you go, dear," Esme said. She was standing in front of me with a cup of tea in her hand. She handed me the cup and I gladly accepted it. I took a sip and let out a calming breath.

"It's green tea. I wasn't sure what you wanted in it, so I added some sugar and honey. I hope you like it."

"Thank you, Esme."

We sat there for a while before Alice, Rosalie, and Cecilia appeared. I was relieved when I saw them and immediately got up to greet each of them with hugs. They were stiff in my arms at first, but they melted after a few seconds. I pulled away from them when I figured they were tense and stepped away from them to sit back on the couch.

"What happened?" Carlisle asked.

"My sister got away," Cecilia said reluctantly.

"She was too fast," Rosalie said angrily. "We tried following her trail, but we lost it within minutes."

"Wait, that woman was your sister?" I asked Cecilia. I remember her telling me she had a sister, but I wasn't informed that she was turned.

"Yes," Cecilia bluntly said. "I know you must have questions, but I would like it if we came back to this at another time."

"And the man?" Esme asked.

"Edward, Jasper, and Emmett went after him," Alice answered. "They'll be here in a few minutes."

"This is bad," Carlisle said grimly. "With the woman on the loose, I fear what she may do. It isn't rare that a vampire retaliates after being threatened."

"We'll need to be careful," Cecilia said. "She's fast and smart. She'll be hard to catch."

"But not impossible."

I turned to see Edward, Jasper, and Emmett walk through into the room. Jasper and Emmett went to Alice's and Rosalie's sides respectively and Edward came to sit beside me. He wrapped me in his arms and wouldn't let go. Although I liked the feeling of being in his arms, I grew uncomfortable with the angle I was sitting in. I tried to shift positions, but Edward growled in warning. My eyes widened in surprise and I looked up at him. His eyes were black and held a warning within them.

"Edward," Carlisle said cautiously. "Calm down, son. Toni isn't in any immediate danger."

Edward took a deep breath and slowly but surely unwound his arms. His eyes were still dark and he kept contact with me, but he seemed more relaxed.

"Thank you, Jasper," Edward said.

"Now, tell me what happened," Carlisle demanded. He was looking at the boys pointedly and waited for them to explain.

"We caught up to him quickly and were able to dismember him," Jasper said. "We burned him and made sure there was minimal damage to the land around us."

Carlisle sighed in relief and said, "Good. The girls were not able to catch the female and the last thing we need is to direct human attention to ourselves."

"That's not our only problem," Edward said darkly.

"I looked into James's mind before we killed him. Someone is working behind the scenes. Their attack wasn't random," Edward said. I grew fearful as I understood what he was saying. Someone was trying to kill me.

"They weren't trying to kill you," Edward told me. "They were trying to take you to someone."

"They were trying to kidnap Toni?" Esme asked with alarm.

"Yes," Edward said in a clipped tone.

"Who's behind it, Edward?" Carlisle asked. Edward remained silent for a while before he asked me to leave the room. I gave him a questioning glance and stayed rooted in my seat.

"I think I deserve to know who's behind all this, Edward," I argued.

"She's right," Jasper said. "I understand your protectiveness Edward, but Toni needs to know. What if she were to bump into this person without any of us by her?"

"I understand that, but I don't want to scare her. She knows who it is."

"Which gives us an even better reason to tell her. She could give us valuable information about them," Jasper said. Edward sighed and looked off in the distance. I grabbed his hand in mine and rubbed my thumb against the back of it.

_I'm strong enough for this._

He turned his head and gazed into my eyes before he sighed once more and told us the person's identity.

"It's Dean."


	28. 28

**Toni's P.O.V.**

I was frozen in disbelief. I thought I left Dean in Arizona. I thought I'd never had to deal with his crap again. There was a warrant out for his arrest after the events of the party, and I had hoped the police captured him for what he did to Nathan. I thought he'd been arrested, but I guess I was wrong. I briefly wondered if Nathan was a vampire but immediately shook the idea from my head. He had burned to death in front of my eyes, and the amount of damage the fire caused to his body was irreversible. I wasn't sure to what extent venom could help someone, but thinking it could have helped Nathan was a long shot.

Knowing Dean was a vampire put me on edge. Edward told me that as a vampire, the qualities possessed as a human were strengthened. Dean was an asshole as a human, and I couldn't imagine how much of an asshole he was as a vampire. He was a great threat because he wasn't a stupid person; he was street smart and knew how to survive. He knew how to read a person and how to get stuff done.

"I don't understand," I finally said quietly.

"He was turned by someone, Toni," Jasper said.

"No, I mean why would he plot against me?" I asked anxiously. What motive did he have? He had made it very clear the last time I saw him that he didn't love me. He made sure to hurt me emotionally, mentally, and physically, and she hadn't retaliated. Why would he go after her?

"We don't know why, Toni," Esme said, "but we will protect you with our lives."

"You can't," I argued.

"Don't question it," Edward said stoically.

"You are a part of this family now, Toni," Carlisle said firmly. "We protect our family no matter what."

"Besides, who else am I supposed to mess with if you're gone," Emmet said jokingly.

"You're our sister now," Rosalie said. "As Carlisle said, you're family now."

I smiled gratefully at everyone in the room. I had never felt so included, so protected, and so loved before. It was a new feeling and I basked in it. I was about to thank them when everyone stiffened. In the blink of an eye, they were crouched around me, except Carlisle. He walked towards the door and opened it to reveal the vampire who had run away in the woods. Was thankful he hadn't tried to kill me, but I was wary of him. He still had tried to take me to Dean and I wasn't happy about it.

"I am sorry for the commotion that happened in the woods and I know you may judge me on my actions, but I am not here to cause trouble. I am here out of curiosity and to warn you," he said.

"How do we know we can trust him?" Emmett asked.

"We can't, but he is telling the truth," Jasper said with his teeth gritted.

"Let's hear what he has to say," Carlisle said. "I am Carlisle and this is my coven."

"I am Laurent," Laurent warily introduced himself. The Cullens were still crouched defensively in front of me and it put Laurent on edge.

"Please," Carlisle said to his children. The Cullens relaxed their bodies but remained close to me. They didn't trust the newcomer, and I couldn't blame them.

"So," Cecilia started. "What kind of trouble has my sister gotten herself into."

Laurent looked at her in surprise but schooled his features.

"I wasn't aware Victoria had a sister."

"It's not of importance. Now, tell us all you know before I get too impatient and rip you to shreds," Cecilia threatened. Laurent took a step back and crouched defensively.

"Cecelia, enough. We don't have time to play these games," Carlisle reprimanded her. "Go on, Laurent."

"I've grown tired of Dean's games, but he's got unparalleled senses. He has a gift that allows him to know if you are telling the truth. He doesn't like being lied to and brings harm to anyone who tries to overshadow him," he informed us. "James is absolutely lethal. I've never seen anything like him in three hundred years. He's very possessive and he doesn't stop until he gets what he wants. The woman, Victoria, will back James, though her loyalties with Dean are temporary at best. Don't underestimate her."

"We killed James already. Seems he wasn't as lethal as you thought he was," Emmett said cockily.

"Maybe I overestimated him," Laurent said with confusion written all over his face. "He was always distracted by blood. That may have marred his decisions some, but Victoria and Dean are going to be hard to catch."

"Victoria is my sister. I know many of her tricks," Cecilia said.

"I will take my leave, then. I do not wish to be in the middle of this anymore," Laurent said.

"Before you go," Cecilia started, "I want to know one thing: Was James my sister's mate?"

Laurent sighed sadly and said, "Yes. You did not know?"

"No, I didn't. She became very closed off after a family dispute," Cecilia said with a frown. Laurent nodded his head and went to take his leave when he was stopped by Carlisle

"You said you were here out of curiosity as well as to warn us. What were you curious about?" Carlisle asked.

"I wanted to know how so many of our kind could live off animals for so long. I have heard about the yellow-eyed lifestyle and have wondered how it is."

"Well, it's not the easiest at first, but I'm sure if you really wanted to do it you could."

"I'm sure, but it will be more difficult without the help of others," Laurent replied.

"There's a coven up north in Alaska called The Denalis. They are our cousin coven of sorts and should be happy to help. Tell them I sent you," Carlisle told him.

"Thank you. I'm truly sorry for what has been unleashed here," he said before he left.

After Laurent left the house, Carlisle addressed everyone and said, "We have a lot to discuss."

* * *

"What if we trap them?" Emmett suggested. They have been trying to come up with an idea that wouldn't lead to any sort of consequence for the past hour. All of them were throwing out great ideas, but eventually, they'd find some kind of fault in the plan. When that happened, I'd groan and deflate mentally. I kept hoping for some kind of miracle plan to pop up so I'd worry less. I was tired beyond belief and all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball underneath my covers and sleep until noon. I felt bad because I wasn't throwing out any ideas. I knew I wouldn't be of much help, anyway. Although Edward had explained some things about the vampire world, there were a lot of things that were left out.

"Victoria wouldn't go for it," Cecilia said. "She's too smart for that. Plus, she's fast."

"Edward is fast, too," Emmett argued.

"Yes, but I'm not sure if he could keep up with her. Usually, can keep up with Edward when we race, but with my sister, I have some trouble. She has a gift, as well."

"What kind of gift?" Jasper asked. I was very surprised at how Jasper was acting towards the situation. He was well put together and he seemed very knowledgeable about the things they were discussing. He gave off an authoritative feeling, almost like he was in charge.

"She can tell when she's about to be in danger. It's like she has a detector in her mind that's constantly searching for danger. When one pops up, she runs. I wasn't sure of it at first, but as time went on, I figured it out," Cecilia answered. "We lived in a time where crime was rampant and criminals could do terrible things in public without being caught. People were ruthless and if you weren't strong enough or had strong enough protection, you were the perfect target. Victoria had a sense of when danger was lurking around us. When she felt like we were in danger, she'd grab my hand and pull me away. It helped us survive for a while before we were turned."

"That's going to cause us some trouble," Jasper mumbled. I fought back a yawn as I continued to listen to them banter back and forth. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and quickly took it out. I looked at it and saw that I had just missed a call from my dad. In fact, I had missed several calls from him. I was going to be in major trouble when I got back home. I got up from the couch and stretched before I walked towards the hallway to call him.

"Where are you going?" Rosalie asked me.

"I have to call my dad," I said simply. I pulled up his saved number on my phone and hit the call button. I heard two rings before he picked up.

_"Toni Alexandria Swan, where are you?!"_

I cringed and held the phone away from my ear as he shouted his worries at me.

"I'm sorry dad-"

_"I don't want an apology, I want to know where you are!"_

"I'm at the Cullens house. I'm sorry that I forgot to tell you."

_"Bella said you went for a walk in the woods. How did you end up at the Cullens?"_

"I saw them hiking. You know how they like to take camping trips."

_"You need to come home this instant. You are in a lot of trouble."_

"Dad I-"

"You can't go home yet."

I turned my attention to the person who spoke and gave them an incredulous look. Edward was looking at me with a very serious expression painted across his features. I gave him a questioning look and turned my attention back to my father. I knew that Edward must have a good reason for saying that, but I needed to get home.

_"-if you don't answer me this instant-"_

"I can't come home yet, dad," I said.

_"I wasn't asking earlier, Toni. You either get home now or you're going to be seriously grounded."_

"Something came up with the Cullens, which is why I've been gone so long. As soon as it's figured out, I'll come home." I knew I had to get home sooner rather than later, but I also knew that Edward wanted me to stay. I compromised and decided to buy myself some time.

_"Toni-"_

"I promise dad."

_"Fine, but I want you home no later than midnight. Do you understand?"_

"Perfectly."

_"Good. Be safe, Toni."_

"Love you, too, dad."

I hung up the phone and looked at Edward with my hands on my hips.

"I don't want to risk your safety, Toni. We haven't caught Dean nor Victoria yet and I don't want them to take you," he explained himself. His eyes were pleading for me to understand his predicament, but there was no need. I clearly understood his point of view, but he didn't understand mine.

"I can't stay here forever, Edward. I need to go home for my dad's sake. Besides, I have no toiletries and I have no clothes," I told him.

"We can get some of your clothes from your room and buy you some things to freshen yourself up with."

"How are we supposed to grab clothes from my house without alerting my dad of our presence?" I asked him dubiously.

"I was referring to my siblings and me when I said 'we'," he said.

"Okay. Let me rephrase my question. How are _you_ supposed to grab clothes from my house without alerting my dad of _your_ presence? My room is on the third floor and I'm not sure if my window is locked."

"We're vampires," he said simply. I scoffed at his ideology and shook my head.

"Whether you like it or not, Edward, I am going home tonight," I said firmly. I wasn't going to back down just because he was a vampire and he wanted me to stay. We had to think logically about everything.

"Dean wants you, Toni. You!"

"I know that! I know that the only reason all this is happening is that Dean wants me and-"

I stopped mid-sentence as I finally realized something: _Dean wanted me._

Edward scoffed and said, "We already covered that."

I glared at him but shook it off. He was just angry at the situation.

"What I'm trying to say is that every plan you've come up with has nothing to do with me," I told him.

"There's a reason for that."

"That's the problem! Dean wants me, so why not use me in your plan?" I suggested. The plan I had formed in my mind didn't sound too bad, but I wanted to get another opinion on it. I walked back into the living room with Edward hot on my heels and garnered everyone's attention.

"I came up with something, but I want to hear your opinion on it," I told them.

"Absolutely not," Edward said. I glared at him as I knew he had heard it form in my mind.

"I already know _your_opinion on it, Edward, so let me ask _them_."

A small growl like noise bubbled in Edward's chest, surprising me. I wasn't sure if I was offended or not at his choice of showing his frustrations. I didn't know everything about vampires, but what I gathered was that growling or hissing at someone wasn't a good thing to do.

"Son, settle down," Carlisle said calmly. He looked at me and encouraged me to go on.

"Okay," I said after I took a deep breath. "The only reason any of this is happening is that Dean has some sort of sick fascination with me, right? Well, I was thinking that if I were part of the plan, we could solve this whole thing."

"What did you have in mind?" Jasper asked.

"I'm not exactly sure, but use me as bait."

"No!" Edward yelled.

"I know it's risky, but I'm the only thing he wants."

"It could work, though we'd have to figure out the rest of the details," Jasper said.

"I said no. We are not risking her life like that," Edward said angrily.

"Until we think of something else, it's the best shot we have," Carlisle told him. "Take Toni home for now. She's exhausted and needs sleep."


	29. 29

**Third P.O.V.**

Victoria was standing in a warehouse located in Seattle after running away from the female Cullens. She was waiting for James and her other companion to show up. She knew Laurent wouldn't show up after disappearing on them. She growled in annoyance at the thought of that traitor. She always knew he would leave when things got tough; it wasn't in his nature to fight and take risks. When she found out he had left, she was livid. How could he have left without trying to help her and her mate escape? Although they were coven mates for only a short period, she couldn't believe he gave up on them so quickly.

She had been cautious when the Cullens arrived to protect Toni. All she could think about was how she and her mate could escape without getting harmed or killed. After the Cullens' leader gave them the signal to attack, he sped off into the forest with James at her heels. She decided to split up and was glad when only the girls came after her. She knew that James could handle himself, so she only worried about getting away. She smirked as she remembered how slow they were and how angry they had gotten when she had laughed at them. She has been running from danger since she was old enough to walk, so the thought of them thinking they could catch her was hilarious.

She stiffened as she felt a presence in the room with her, but relaxed as she recognized the scent.

"Finally decided to show up?" she asked.

"I had a few things to do."

She turned around to find a male vampire. He had long, chestnut hair hanging freely down to his shoulders and red eyes that were bright due to his recent feeding. He was wearing a plain, gray T-shirt and ripped jeans with a leather jacket and a pair of sneakers on his feet. He looked to be in his early twenties, and he was tall, at least 6 feet in height, with an impressive muscle mass.

"Where are James and Laurent?" he asked Victoria.

"We were cut off by some vampires before we could bring her to you. They were protecting her and came after us. Laurent left before they attacked and James and I split up to try to shake them off our tail," she explained.

"Are you lying to me?" he asked dangerously.

Victoria tried to hide her fear, but she knew she wasn't covering it up well. Even so, she straightened her back and said, "Of course not."

The male pushed her up against a wall and slammed her head into it. He hissed and held her chin, making sure she was looking him in the eye.

"I'll ask one more time, Victoria. Are you lying to me?" he asked slowly. He knew she was lying about something but wasn't sure about what. It was his gift. When someone lied, a red slither of fog or breath would leave their mouth with their words. He had watched as a red slither of breath had left Victoria's mouth during the first part of her explanation and wasn't sure if she was lying about the vampires or about bringing Toni back.

"Yes," Victoria said.

"Tell me the truth."

"We were cut off by some vampires, but we weren't planning on bringing her back to you."

The male threw her away from him in frustration and started pacing back and forth. Who were they to disobey his orders?

"You're lucky I still need you or else I would kill you. Now, you said Laurent left?"

Victoria sneered and said, "You knew he was a coward from the day we met him."

"Still, I didn't think he would flee like that," he said with a frown on his face. "No worries, though. He'll get what's coming for him after we finish this. Now, tell me about these vampires you encountered How many of them are there?" Dean asked. Before he stormed in to take what was his, he wanted to know what he was up against. If there were too many, he would rethink his plan and go from there. If not, he would simply kill the ones in his way and take Toni. There was no use in being difficult if he could take the easy route.

"Eight: three pairs of mates and two singles."

That alarmed him. There were only three of them if James showed up, which meant they were five short. Those were not good odds, but Dean would not be deterred easily.

"How do you know they're mates?" he asked.

"The way they protected each other was a big enough clue."

"Singles?" he asked.

"My sister and another boy."

"I didn't know you had a sister."

"She's a nuisance more than anything," Victoria sneered.

"Tell me about this boy."

"He seems to have an interest in your little girlfriend. He was the first one to protect her. He might even be her mate," Victoria informed him. The way he had stood in front of the human had made Victoria curious. The way he had jumped in front of her to save her from her demise was similar to that of when James protected her from a threat. Victoria wondered if the human was his mate and smirked at the thought of Dean becoming angry because of it.

"What!" Dean snapped He was furious at the thought of anyone trying to take what was his. He thought he had taken care of the last of the competition when he killed Nathan, but he guessed he was wrong. He knew that he was harsh towards Toni before he entered his new life. He knew he had made her cry and had hurt her, but he didn't want to let her go. His memories were hazy and nonexistent when he woke up, which had scared him. The only thing he could remember clearly was Toni and the night of the party. He clung to the only memories he had left and vowed to himself that he would find Toni. She was his and he wasn't about to let some vampire take her away from him.

"This just won't do," Dean said darkly. "We're going on a little trip."

"What about James? What if he comes back and we're not here?" Victoria questioned him. He had been gone a long time and she was antsy to go look for him. She was afraid that he had been captured by the vampire coven and wasn't sure if the boy would harm her mate for trying to harm his.

"James is dead," Dean said angrily. "If he wasn't, he would have been here by now. It's time to face the facts that you're alone in this world for the rest of your existence."

Victoria screeched and attacked Dean. She was furious that he cared little about her mate's well-being. If it wasn't for Dean, she and her mate would be happily messing with the humans in the world. The thought of losing him was impossible in her eyes. He was smart, agile, and ruthless. Any opponent he had was dead within minutes, yet he allowed some random vampires to end his existence. She knew the blonde male was one to look out for as he had multiple bite marks littered along every visible part of his body. The big one looked like his muscles were only for show and the bronze-haired one looked too young to have any fighting experience.

She went for his neck to bite a chunk out of him, but her attack was interrupted as Dean used his legs to push her off him. He curled his hand into a fist and pulled his hand back to hit her. Sensing his next move, Victoria stopped his fist from descending upon her face by using her hand as a shield. She grimaced as he used his strength to his advantage. He smiled viciously as Victoria's hand slackened, allowing him to strike her across the face and gain the upper hand. He pulled her hands away from her face and down by her sides so he could place his knees on them to prevent her from hitting him back. He leaned his head close to hers and taunted her. Victoria yelled out and hissed at him in retaliation. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him before he spoke to her.

"Come with me so we can finish what we started," he said.

"Why would I ever follow you?" Victoria asked with her lips curled in a vicious snarl. "You're one of the reasons why James is dead!"

"The only reason why James is dead is because of that coven. _They_killed your mate, Victoria, so why are you attacking me? Come with me. Direct your anger towards the ones who are responsible for James's death. Avenge him," Dean manipulated her. He needed her to follow through with his plan. Without someone watching his back, he would fail and pay with his life. He smiled as he watched her come to her senses. He let go of her and outstretched his hand to help her up. She grabbed it and hauled herself up.

"What if they catch wind of our plan? They figured out we were after their little pet in the woods," Victoria sneered.

"With what I have in mind, no one will catch wind of this," Dean said confidently. Victoria studied him cautiously for a few moments before she caved in. His plan could help her get her revenge, and he was the only person she could remotely trust. She knew she couldn't pass up this opportunity.

"Where are we going?" she asked him. She didn't want to help him, but she did want to avenge her mate. She wanted to make that bronze-haired boy feel the agony she was feeling no matter what. She would do whatever it took; she would not go down without a fight.

"We are going to catch a swan."


	30. 30

**Toni's P.O.V.**

The car ride to my house was fast, yet silent. Edward refused to speak to me and I refused to speak to him after he ignored my attempts at conversing. When we arrived, I got out of the car quickly and slammed my door. I walked into the house and was met with my dad's angry face. After he "calmly" yelled at me, I walked up the stairs and into my bedroom, where I plopped myself onto my bed. I was lying face down for only a few seconds before I heard a soft knocking sound coming from my window. I groaned and got up to open it, knowing full well who was interrupting my sweet reunion. I opened it and Edward climbed through and shut the window after him. I was going to continue giving him the silent treatment, but I was too tired to keep up the facade.

"Look, I understand that you wanted to be here with me to make sure I wasn't going to be harmed, but-"

"Sh," he shushed me. He sniffed the air cautiously and hissed so quietly that I almost didn't pick up the noise.

"What is it?" I asked him softly.

"Another vampire has been here."

I grew scared at the idea of a vampire being in my room and immediately gripped Edward's arm with both of my hands.

"Lock your window, close the door behind me, and get into bed. I'll be right back," Edward commanded. I did as he said, all the while watching him as he slipped from my room. I was only alone for a minute before the door creaked open and Edward stepped back into my room. He had a grim expression on his face and he held a note in his clenched hand.

"What's wrong?" I asked fearfully.

"It's your sister," he said as he held out the note that was wrinkled from being in his fist.

"What?"

I jumped out of my bed and walked over to him to get the note. I smoothed out the wrinkles and gasped as I read it over.

He took Bella.

* * *

**Third P.O.V.**

Bella Swan awoke to someone hitting her cheek rather hard. She opened her eyes and with a jolt of her body, she sat up. She looked around at her surroundings to try to get a look at who had hit her but came up empty. What she did see was the place in which she was held. It was a big, empty warehouse that had multiple dirty windows lining the sides of it. Sunlight streamed through holes where some windows used to be, allowing her to conclude that it was daytime. She stretched and sighed as she stood up. She wasn't sure how she got there and she wasn't sure who had taken her, but she was ready to leave. Her captor was nowhere in sight and the entrance to the warehouse was just a few meters away from her. She made a quick run for it.

Dean, who was watching Bella make a run for it from one of the four corners of the warehouse, chuckled inaudibly and ran to stop her. He admired her will to survive, but he needed her to get to Toni. He didn't remember much about her as he woke up from his transformation with little to no memory, but he did remember how much she and Toni fought.

He stood in front of the door, effectively blocking the light, and watched Bella run towards him for a few seconds before she outwardly gasped and stopped. She started backing up but halted when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She looked over her left shoulder and saw Dean standing behind her. Baffled, Bella looked towards the door and back to Dean. She gasped again in realization and hastily tried to shake Dean's hand off her shoulder. In response, Dean hardened his grip and put more pressure on her joint. He laughed darkly and placed his mouth right beside Bella's ear.

"So, I guess you already know what I am," he said.

"H-how did you...?"

"Become a vampire? I guess I was one of the luckier ones."

"Luckier ones?" Bella asked. Although she was in a very deadly situation, she couldn't help herself. She knew who he was, of course. She had seen Toni hanging around him at school and Toni had even introduced him to their family when she had first started dating him. She had thought he was cute, but not exactly handsome. Bella preferred boys with shorter hair and a nice style; Dean was the complete opposite of that. Dean was too much trouble for her too, so Bella decided to keep her distance from him.

"You see, I was turned the night I set that warehouse in Phoenix on fire. I was running away from the scene when I was grabbed by someone and pulled into their arms. I wasn't able to get a look at them at that moment because they put a blindfold over my eyes. It felt like we were flying before we stopped and the blindfold was taken off. I was in a small clearing, but I wasn't alone. There were seven others, besides me, that were there. I recognized four of them from the party, but the other three were not. I would have noticed them if they were. They were too beautiful; too graceful; too fast. You can guess what they were," Dean said.

"Vampires," Bella answered with confidence, causing Dean to scoff.

"Of course. To make this story short, the three vampires ended up sucking the life out of three of the other kids and turned me and the last one. I'm not sure what made them change me, but they did and I was never happier. I stuck with them for some time before I decided to pursue Toni."

"Why?" Bella asked.

"I couldn't remember much when I awoke into my new life, but I could remember the night of the party. Toni was one of the only people to continuously enter my vision that night, so I clung to her. I figured out that we were dating before I was turned, so I began to want what was mine back," Dean explained.

"How do I fit into all this?" Bella asked. "I mean, Toni isn't that fond of me. She won't come for me."

"That's where you're wrong, Bella," Dean replied with a smirk on his face as he started to circle her as if she was his meal. "If I remember correctly, Toni argued with you a lot but still kept an eye out for you."

"She isn't like that anymore. You're wasting your time, so just let me go," Bella said.

Dean hummed and said, "Nice try. Toni will come. If not for your benefit, then for someone else's. Tell me: Is there anyone Toni holds in high regard that would miss you if you were gone?"

Bella's eyes widened and fear settled in the pit of her stomach.

"Now," Dean said as he handed her a cell phone, "Call your sister."

* * *

**Toni's P.O.V.**

"We need to leave. Now," Edward said. He sped over to my closet and grabbed a bag from the bottom of it in a matter of seconds before he chucked it at me and commanded me to put my essentials in it. I stood there looking at the bag for a few seconds before I realized what he was doing. Angrily, I dropped the bag to the floor. Edward stared at me with a hint of burning anger behind his narrowed eyes and his hands curled in frustration.

"I can't leave, Edward," I told him.

"Toni, you're in danger. It would be beneficial for us to go back to my house where the others are," he said as he explained his actions.

"Dean isn't here. Otherwise, he wouldn't have left a note," I told him.

"He's not here, but that doesn't mean he isn't waiting to make a move. I need to get you to safety, why can't you see that!" he yelled quietly.

"I do see that, but I don't think you're thinking rationally right now. I'm just trying to think of every consequence."

"We don't have time for that," he said. He picked the bag off the ground and started throwing random pieces of clothing in it. I started towards him and tried prying the bag from his hands, but he kept moving it out of my reach.

"I can't leave, Edward! I just got home! Besides, my dad would kill me if he found out I snuck out."

He scoffed and said, "As if that's ever stopped you before."

I stopped all my actions and stared at him with hurt in my eyes. I couldn't believe he would say something like that to me.

"Toni, I'm sorry, but we need to leave," Edward said quietly. My eyes hardened in response, but ultimately, I decided to pack my things. I grabbed my essentials and followed Edward to my window. He jumped out first, then waited with his arms open for me to jump. I climbed out of the window and looked down as I sat on the ledge of it. I looked back towards my room and apologized in my head to my dad before I pushed myself off. I was mid-air for a moment before I felt Edward's cold, hard arms surround me. He slung me on his back, and with a warning, took off towards his house.

When we arrived, the Cullens surrounded us and asked what happened. Edward explained everything while I walked into their living room and sat on the couch. I rested my head on my hands and closed my eyes, willing sleep to take over. It was around midnight and I was exhausted. Just before I felt sleep overtake me, I heard my phone go off. I sighed before I reached into my pocket and retrieved it. I accepted the call and put the phone up to my ear.

_"Toni."_

I shot up as I heard my sister's scared voice.

"Bella, where are you?" I asked her. The Cullens were suddenly standing in the room and Edward was standing by my side. Although I was still angry at him for what he said, I needed his support.

_"I-I'm-"_

I heard a slap and my sister yell in pain in response.

"Bella! Bella, are you okay? What's happening?" I asked frantically. It was silent for a beat before I heard a man's voice.

_"Everything is fine, Toni."_

I grew pale as I realized who was on the phone.

"What have you done to my sister?"

_"Relax. We're just having a bit of fun."_

"You're an asshole!" I screamed at him. Edward reached for the phone, but I refused to give it to him. I wanted to talk to Dean and Dean didn't want to talk to Edward. Dean chuckled on the other end of the call, causing my blood to boil.

_"Always quick to let your emotions take over,"_ he said.

"What do you want?" I asked him.

"_I want you, Toni. But before I get you, I need you to go somewhere private so we can talk."_

"What makes you think I'm not?"

_"I'm not dense, Toni," _he said. _"I know your little boyfriend is in the room with you. If you're as involved as I think you are, he would never leave you alone while you were in danger."_

I looked towards the Cullens and saw the doubt that plagued their faces. I looked at Edward and saw him vigorously shaking his head. I knew that being alone was borderline foolish, but I needed to get Bella back to safety and I needed to end all this.

"Fine," I agreed. "Just give me a moment."

I removed the phone from my ear, held my hand over the speaker, and turned towards the Cullens.

"Look," I said. "I know this may seem very foolish to you, but I don't know what else to do."

"This doesn't seem like a good idea, Toni," Carlisle said. "Think of the danger you are putting yourself in."

"He wants you somewhere that we can't listen in on the conversation and somewhere that we don't have quick access to you," Jasper said. "If you give in to his demands, you'll be playing right into his hands."

"If I don't give in to his demands, Bella will get hurt, or worse, die," I argued.

"Toni, just-"

"All I'm doing is talking to him," I said as I cut Edward off. "Please, just let me talk to him and see if I can work something out," I pleaded.

"It's not safe. Something could go wrong. He could take you!" Edward yelled.

"It's my decision, Edward! Stop trying to control my life!" I yelled as I glared at him.

"I'm not trying to control your life, I'm trying to save your life!"

"By being a dictator!"

"Enough you two," Esme scolded us. She stepped between us and put one hand on both of our chests. She looked at Edward first, then at me with disappointment in her eyes.

"Fighting is not going to solve anything," she said.

"She's right," Cecilia said. "If anything, he wants you to fight. We need to keep our minds focused. I suggest we let Toni talk alone."

"No," Edward disagreed.

"It's better for both Toni and Bella if we let him think we are playing his games. We don't need to make this situation any worse," she said.

"We'll go out and give you the house to converse. I think it would make us all feel better if you weren't in the middle of nowhere," Carlisle said. One by one, the Cullens left, each giving me a look. The only one who refused to look at me was Edward, which caused me to scoff in his direction. I waited a few minutes to make sure they were far enough away before I put the phone to my ear once more.

"Okay. I'm listening."


	31. 31

**Toni's P.O.V.**

_This is it_, I thought as I stared at the huge warehouse in front of me. I was in Seattle, Washington after I had just been dropped off by a cab driver who was sane enough to take me to the middle of an abandoned part of the city. The warehouse was huge with many windows lined up on the sides of the building. Some were broken while others were so dirty you couldn't imagine them ever being clean. The rest of the building was a dull grey with some word graffiti here and there. I was nervous, immensely so. I was about to come face to face with my abusive ex-boyfriend by myself who was now a vampire.

But I had to help Bella.

Bella was possibly the most annoying sister in the world. She was vindictive, easily overcome with jealousy, and spiteful. But she was still my dad's daughter. I refused to let Bella die and my dad grieve because of something from my past. If I didn't help Bella, guilt would consume me.

Scared, yet determined, I inhaled and exhaled slowly, and made my way to the door I assumed was the entrance. The door's hinges squeaked from being unused, and light swept from the outside, lighting up parts of the inside of the building. I was greeted by a line of small, red lights as I was engulfed in darkness. I wasn't sure where to go or what to do, so I followed the red lights, hoping they would lead me to Bella.

Thankfully, they did. The path of lights led to a huge room of the warehouse lit up by candles sporadically positioned throughout the area. In the dead center was Bella tied up by rope and blindfolded by a scarf. She was still and unmoving. I ran over to her and touched her shoulder, causing her to jump and start screaming. I tried to calm her down, but she was too scared to listen.

"Bella! It's just me! It's just Toni," I said to her in hopes she would stop. She wouldn't listen, though, and continued to thrash around. As a last effort, I tried to untie her blindfold. The knot was tight, but I eventually loosened it enough to pull it down and reveal her eyes. As soon as she saw me, she stopped screaming and sighed in relief.

"Toni, we have to go!" she yelled. "We have to go now!"

"I know, I know," I replied with a shaky voice. I had never heard Bella so scared before and it made me feel panicky and breathless.

"You have to untie me, Toni, please," Bella said as tears rolled down her cheeks. Alarmed by her tears, I positioned myself behind her and started working on the knots holding her hands together.

"I- I know. Just-"

My hands were shaking and I couldn't concentrate. My eyes started to water, blurring my vision by unshed tears. I didn't know where Dean was and I didn't know why he wasn't in the room. It terrified me and paranoia crept up my neck.

"Toni! Hurry!"

I felt hopeless. How was I going to get Bella out of there in time? My breathing was shallow and I felt like I was going to faint. I started to get worked up even more as I realized I was about to have an episode.

"Well isn't this cute," I heard a voice say. My eyes widened and my body froze. Slowly, I looked up and met the eyes of my ex-boyfriend. His hair was still long and the color of chestnuts, but his once hazel eyes were a blood diamond red. He was even more attractive than he was before, but it was a dangerous attractiveness that I knew all too well to stay away from.

"How have you been, Toni?" he asked me much to my disbelief.

"Not gonna answer?" he asked me as I stayed completely silent. "That's too bad. I thought we could catch up. Do you like the lighting? I thought it would set the mood better than artificial light."

I didn't want to give in to his sick little game, so I just stared him down. Suddenly, he was in front of Bella and me. He picked her up by her neck and sped away from me. He held her by her throat so her feet couldn't touch the floor. She gasped for breath and clawed at his hand as I shouted in protest.

"Either we talk and she lives, or you refuse and you watch the life drain from your dear sister," he threatened.

"Okay! Just let her down!" I shouted. Immediately, he loosened his grasp on her neck and let her fall. I rushed over to her to see if she was okay, but I was pushed to the floor by Dean.

"She's fine. Now, answer my question, Toni."

"Good. I've been fine," I said.

"You've been more than fine, haven't you? I've seen the little group of vampires you've saddled up to. You've been especially close to one in particular, am I right?"

"What about them?" I asked.

"I'm just wondering how they haven't sunk their teeth in you by now. I mean, compared to Bella's, your scent is bland, but that doesn't mean you still don't smell delicious," he said. He inhaled deeply and let out an audible breath.

"Y'know, it's been a day or two since I've had a bite to eat and Bella's scent is rather appetizing. It's been hell waiting for you while my meal has been calling to me. Now that you're here, I guess I can finally eat."

"No!" I screamed as he slowly stalked over to a paralyzed Bella. He dragged her up by her hair and placed his face dangerously close to Bella's neck. Bella pleaded him to stop and hit him with open palms. A rush of strength entered my body and I pushed myself to a standing position.

"I'm tired of everything going to shit! I'm done playing your games, Dean!" I cried out. I looked around frantically for something to distract him with and spotted the candles on the ground. I grabbed a candle from the ground and ran towards him. I pressed the lit end of the candle to Dean's skin and kept it there as he hissed in pain. With a flick of his free hand, Dean sent me flying through the air and against the wall.

My head hit the surface hard and the air was knocked out of my lungs. My body slumped to the ground and I felt weak. My body hurt from the impact and my head was throbbing. Dean walked towards me and grasped my neck, constricting my airways. I used my hands to frantically claw at his, but I was doing more harm to myself than to him. He chuckled darkly and threw me across the room again. My body felt like a ragdoll as it soared through the air. The pain of the impact flared throughout my limbs and was immediately followed by another wave of pain and a snapping sound, this time from my arm.

"I've always wondered what it would be like to snap one of these," Dean said as he crouched in front of me. "There were plenty of times where I wanted to when we were dating but held off because you were being a good little girl."

I screamed in agony as he applied pressure to my broken arm and held it with my hand when he let go.

"Please, don't!" I heard Bella plead. "Don't hurt her!"

"This will only take a second," Dean replied, taking his eyes off me for a moment before staring at me again. "Y'know, I never knew you liked your sister so much; not enough to save her, that is. Who are you saving her for? Maybe I'll pay them a visit after I'm done with you two."

I spit in his direction and he slapped me across the face. I abandoned my broken arm to clutch my hurting jaw. Dean pulled my hand away from my face and replaced it with his.

"I know you, Toni. I know how you think."

"You don't know shit."

"Such a dirty mouth. What do you think I'm going to do after all this? I'm going to hurt you, Toni," he said. He let go of my face, stood up, and then kicked me in my side. Instinctively, I wrapped my good arm around my mid-section to protect it.

"I'm going to cut, bruise, and scar every inch of your body while you scream for help. I'm going to make you want to die, but I won't allow you to. No. I'm going to make you suffer eternally."

He kicked me once more before he leaned into my neck and bit down. _Hard_**.** An excruciating amount of pain hit me all at once, causing my body to jolt. My body arched off the ground and my mouth opened to let out an inaudible scream.

"I'm going to make sure you never think about disrespecting me again by hurting you so bad that no one will recognize you, not even yourself. And when I'm done, I'm going to kill your little boyfriend."

He chuckled darkly as I stared up at the ceiling with wide eyes.

"Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy."

* * *

**Third P.O.V.**

_This is it_, Dean thought as he watched Toni writhe in pain. Now that he had bitten her, it was time to get rid of Bella and take Toni somewhere where they wouldn't be bothered; somewhere he could do anything he wanted without worrying about someone interrupting. He looked at the bite he gave Toni and grinned. Dean knew very little about vampires, but what he did know was that vampire bites scarred. They were the only things that marred a vampire's skin. That's why he bit her where he did. He wanted his bite to be on display every day of her miserable life. He wanted her to pass by mirrors and see the reminder of the start of the worst part of her life.

Dean wanted to keep looking at his prize, but he had to get rid of Bella, so he tore his eyes away from Toni and started walking towards Bella. Bella was sitting on the warehouse floor, watching Toni writhe in pain. She feared for her own life now that Toni was incapacitated. A small part of her was envious Toni was going to live an immortal life while she was going to die. That bite was her ticket into a world she never imagined could be possible. It was her door to becoming better, faster, and more beautiful. It was her gateway to more possibilities. But she would never get there. She was going to be drained. She was going to die.

A few miles away, Edward was running as fast as he could. He knew he should have never gone along with Toni's plan, but it was the best thing they could come up with. Toni was to go by herself to meet Dean and stall him long enough for Edward and the rest of the Cullens to arrive. Although it was a pretty crappy plan, it was the only one with an outcome that guaranteed Toni would stay alive. When Dean changed his mind and Alice had a vision, Edward raced out the door of the Cullens house. Esme and Cecilia stayed behind; Esme because she didn't want to see the end of a vampire and Cecilia because she wanted to track down her sister.

Edward was ahead of the others, so he reached the warehouse first. Without stopping, he burst through the door, ran through the hallway, and entered the room occupied by Toni, Bella, and Dean. The scene he was met with was terrifying. His Toni was hurt, bleeding, and worst of all, bit, all because he didn't protect her. He never wanted to bring her into his world, yet he knew he couldn't have avoided it. She was his mate and he couldn't live without her. He refused to live without her in his life, which is why he decided to love her unconditionally. He vowed to himself that he would focus all of his romantic love on her; to be the best mate he could be for her.

Dean's mouth had just grazed Bella's neck when he was slammed into and thrown against the wall. He got up and hissed in anger at Edward. He was ruining everything and Dean didn't appreciate that. Edward hissed back and charged at Dean again. Dean charged towards him, as well, and the two wrestled to gain power over the other. Luckily, Edward was able to gain the upper hand and slam Dean to the ground.

Dean groaned in pain. He frowned as he realized that he wouldn't be able to fight Edward off. He wouldn't run off, though; he had come too far to turn back now.

Edward knew this, too; he could hear everything cross Dean's mind. He also knew Dean's next move, so he was more than ready when Dean grabbed his ankle in an attempt to drag him down. As soon as Dean's hand made contact with Edward's ankle, Edward stomped his chest with his free ankle, and Dean to let go.

Edward picked Dean off the ground by his shirt and bit right into Dean's neck, just like he had done to Toni. He bit Dean's neck so hard that when he pulled away, a chunk of flesh came off. Dean screamed in pain, but Edward didn't care. He was on a and he wasn't going to stop until he made sure Dean suffered for what he did.

"Edward, stop."

Without loosening his grip, Edward turned his head to look at his father figure. Through Carlisle's mind, Edward could see the frenzied state he was in; his eyes were wide and filled with anger, and his teeth were bared.

"Let Emmett and Jasper handle him," Carlisle said.

"We're on it," Jasper said. He started barking out orders to Rosalie and Alice as Emmett waited to replace Edward's spot.

"Carlisle-"

"Your mate needs you, Edward. Let the others take care of him."

At the mention of Toni, Edward let go of Dean and looked her way. He knew Carlisle was right; Toni needed him. He ran to her side and assessed the damage done to her. He was scared. He knew the venom was spreading throughout her veins at a fast rate, but he wasn't sure what to do. While he wanted to let her make the transition, he knew she would want to do it on her terms. He gazed into Toni's eyes and saw nothing but suffering, so he made his decision.

"I'm going to make the pain go away, Toni. I'm going to take it all away and after this, I am going to make sure nothing like this ever happens again," he vowed. Edward placed his mouth over the bite mark and started sucking the venom out. At first, all he could taste was blood infused with venom, but after a while, he could taste pure, sweet, untainted blood. He unlatched from her skin and smoothed down her hair in an attempt to calm himself. She was unconscious now and her breathing was shallower than normal.

"She's lost a lot of blood," Carlisle stated. "Let's get her to the hospital. You did good, son."


	32. Alternate Ending (In Which Dean Doesn't Bite Toni)

**Toni's P.O.V.**

"You don't know shit."

"Such a dirty mouth. What do you think I'm going to do after all this? I'm going to hurt you, Toni," he said. He let go of my face, stood up, and then kicked me in my side. Instinctively, I wrapped my good arm around my mid-section to protect it.

"I'm going to cut, bruise, and scar every inch of your body while you scream for help. I'm going to make you want to die, but I won't allow you to. No. I'm going to make you suffer eternally."

He kicked me once more before he leaned into my neck and bit down. _Hard_**.** An excruciating amount of pain hit me all at once, causing my body to jolt. My body arched off the ground and my mouth opened to let out an inaudible scream.

"I'm going to make sure you never think about disrespecting me again by hurting you so bad that no one will recognize you, not even yourself. And when I'm done, I'm going to kill your little boyfriend."

He chuckled darkly as I stared up at the ceiling with wide eyes.

"Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy-"

He was suddenly thrown across the room, causing Bella to fall unceremoniously to the ground. They had arrived; the Cullens sans Esme, that is. I watched as they jumped in from the windows one by one. Emmett immediately descended upon Dean and Jasper started barking out orders to Rosalie. Carlisle and Alice tended to Bella and Edward made his way to me. He sat beside me and started looking over my wounds.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," he murmured in my ear. There was a hint of disbelief, as well as concern mixed with his usually calming voice.

"It was the best option," I said, slightly out of breath. Adrenaline was pumping throughout my body, causing me to ignore the immense pain I was in. A blanket of relief and fatigue enveloped me and a small sigh left my mouth. The Cullens were here, which meant it was all over; I could finally relax.

"That doesn't mean I wasn't still worried. You could have gotten killed, Toni," Edward replied to.

"We need to fix that habit of yours," I said as I winced in pain. He was prodding at my head and it was doing more harm than good, in my opinion.

"What habit?" he asked as he continued with his examination.

"The habit where you overreact to everything."

"It's not overreacting if your life is at stake."

"Can you be less of a mate and more of a doctor right now?"

Edward sighed, but nonetheless decided to take the latter route.

"Your head isn't bleeding, but there's a small bump forming. I recommend ice and rest. Happy?"

"Ecstatic," I replied. "Thank you, Doctor."

He rolled his eyes and gave me a small smile. The smile dropped from his face a few seconds later, alerting me that something was wrong.

"What's wrong, Edward?" I asked him.

"We need to get out of here. They're getting ready to start the fire and I don't want you here when they do," he informed me.

"Fire?" I asked.

"It's the only way to kill one of us. You have to rip a vampire apart and burn the pieces, otherwise, they'll piece themselves back together."

I made a face as I pictured a bunch of unattached limbs bouncing around, trying to putting themselves back together. All of a sudden, the smell of gasoline and then the smell of burning flesh wafted into my nose, bringing back horrible memories of Nathan. Edward wrapped his arms around me and picked me up, holding me close.

He shushed and consoled me as I buried my face in his chest. I didn't want to relive those memories and I didn't want to cry over them anymore, so I breathed in Edward's calming scent and let the reassuring fact that Nathan's murderer was going to be gone in the next few minutes wash over me.


	33. Epilogue

**Toni's P.O.V.**

I was laying in a hospital bed with the sounds of machinery beeping in my ear and the feeling of needles in my skin. There were only two people in the room with me: my dad and Edward. My dad was sitting in a stiff-looking chair to my left and Edward was sitting in a chair that was standing against the wall opposite me. Both seemed to be sleeping, but I knew better than that. My father never slept when one of us was hurt and Edward couldn't sleep.

To prove that I was right, Edward opened his eyes and winked at me with a smile caressing his face. His smile caused my heart monitor to beep a bit faster, and my dad looked up in concern. When I met his gaze, he sighed in relief and lowered his head. He stayed in that position for a few seconds before he lifted his head again and gave me a stern look.

"Hey, dad," I said sheepishly.

"Don't 'hey dad' me, young lady," he started. "Do you know how worried I was?"

"Dad, I-"

"I don't want to hear it, Toni. You were supposed to be home by 10, but I extended it to midnight because of some emergency with the Cullens. Then I find out you snuck out of the house after you came home!" he yelled quietly. My dad wasn't one to yell, so when he did you knew you screwed up.

"Dad, I'm so sorry, " I apologized. He sighed and rubbed his head.

"I should have checked on her," he said. I was confused and a bit alarmed. Did he know about Bella's situation? Did he know the Cullens' secret?

"When I saw Bella's letter on her bed, I felt a bit hopeless. How was I going to stop her in time from hurting herself? But then I saw your letter, I thought to myself, 'Toni will get her to come home'."

"Wait, what?" I blurted out. I was stooped by his words. What letters did we write?

"You hit your head pretty hard, so I guess you don't remember," my dad said. "Don't worry about the details, kiddo. I'm just happy the two of you are alive and safe."

"Me, too, dad."

There was a pregnant pause before my dad stood from his chair and stretched.

"Well, I'm gonna go get some coffee and some food," he stated.

"You're just going to leave me in here by myself?" I asked him in disbelief.

"You got Edward, Toni," he said as he glanced Edward's way. "Besides, I think your mom wanted to talk to you."

"As if," I mumble under my breath. She's rarely called or texted me the whole time I've been here, so why would she want to talk to me now?

"Toni," my dad warned me.

"Yeah, yeah," I said as I drew an imaginary halo over my head.

"Do you want anything to eat before I go?"

"Something with lots of carbs and grease please."

"Hamburger it is," he said. He opened the door to my hospital room and looked me over once before he left. As soon as the door closed, Edward was by my side. He took my hand and enclosed it in his, and he breathed in deeply.

"I thought I was going to lose you," he said with pain in his eyes.

"I thought I was going to die," I told him. as I pictured Dean's face.

"No, Toni. I almost-," Edwards paused. "I almost lost you."

"What are you talking about?" I asked him confused.

"Dean bit you, Toni. I had to suck the venom out of your system else you would have turned and I know you're not ready for that. You lost so much blood, we didn't know if you were going to make it."

I let that information sink in. Images of that night entered my mind that confirmed what he said. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"All that matters is that I'm alive," I told him. I knew he was going to try to blame himself.

"Toni-"

"I don't want to hear it, Edward. All of this is because of Dean, okay? It's not your fault and it's not my fault. I'm tired of this pity and this guilt that continues to break me down and I'm tired of feeling so weak every time something goes wrong in my life. It's time to point fingers at the real culprit and stop making excuses."

It was silent before Edward said, "Someone is feeling quite better."

"Yes. Quite," I said as a smile graced my face. He gave me his crooked smile in return. The smile slipped from my face and I asked, "What happened to Dean? And that red-headed vampire?"

"We took care of Dean. He won't be messing with you anymore," he said darkly. "Cecilia took care of her sister."

"That must have been hard for her," I muttered quietly.

"It was," he agreed. "She left right after to take some time for herself."

The room grew uncomfortably;y quiet, so I cleared my throat and said, "I can't wait to get out of here. I hate hospitals. Ever since I moved to Forks, I've been in and out of the hospital."

"And what does Miss Swan want to do when she gets out of the hospital?" Edward asked me.

"Well," I started, "we're going on a date as soon as I get out of here, so plan well."

Edward looked shocked, yet pleased.

"If you're demanding some things, then it seems only fit that I, too, get to demand something," he said.

"Of course. Anything."

"We're going to prom."

"But that," I told him flatly. "Anything but that."

* * *

**Third P.O.V.**

"Bells," Charlie said as he looked at his daughter in the hospital bed. She had bruises covering her body, but other than that, she was fine.

"Hey, dad," Bella said weakly.

"Now, you know you're not supposed to be talking. I just want you to listen to me," Charlie ordered her. The worst of the bruises were on her neck, so the doctors had checked there first. They found out that her throat was severely sore and her tongue was a bit discolored. She was ordered to only eat and drink liquids and was ordered to do as little talking as possible.

"I know you haven't been exactly happy living with me in Forks," he said. Bella opened her mouth to protest but closed it when Charlie gave her a look of warning.

"Don't try to argue with me, Bella," he started. "You've never once had a look of satisfaction on your face since you've been here."

Bella shook her head back and forth, causing pain to flare up in her throat. She knew where the conversation was going. She knew what the two of her parents were planning ever since her mom visited her in the hospital the first time. She wasn't going to let them do it. She would do everything in her power to make them see that what they thought was best for her, wasn't.

"Your mom and I have been talking and we think it's best if you go and live with her down in Florida," Charlie told her. He didn't want to force her to do anything she didn't want to do, but Forks wasn't the right place for her. Knowing how headstrong his eldest daughter was, he knew she wasn't going to go without a fight. He could only hope Bella would go willingly.

"I don't want to go," Bella strained out. Her throat was on fire, but she ignored the pain. If she left Forks, there was a huge possibility that she would never be able to see Edward or the Cullen's again; she would lose her chance at immortality. Not only that, but she didn't want to live with her hair-brained mother. She had more freedom living with Charlie and she didn't want to give that up.

"A lot has happened these past few months and I don't think you've taken the move well."

"I'm staying in Forks!"

"Bella, enough," Charlie ordered. "There's no room for arguing. It'll be good for you to get away. You and Toni can have some time apart. I'm not changing my mind about this."

* * *

**Toni's P.O.V.**

Unfortunately, I couldn't get out of prom. I didn't want to go because of my injuries. I had a cast on my arm and a few of my ribs were still healing. I sat down in front of my vanity and started applying make-up to my face. Black eyeliner and mascara for my eyes, a neutral eyeshadow for my eyelids, red lipstick for my lips, and light blush for my cheeks. Once I was satisfied with my make-up, I stood up and grabbed my dress from my closet. It was a blue, satin, high-low dress that showed off one of my legs. It was held up by spaghetti straps and I paired it with a pair of silver, open-toed heels.

I pulled my black hair up into an elegant bun, leaving some hair to frame my face, and slipped on a pair of dangly earrings in my ear and a simple bangle around my wrist. My dad called out for me to come downstairs. With one last glance in the mirror, I left my room and walked down to the living room. Edward was sitting on the couch with my dad and stood up once I entered the room. He was wearing a simple black and white suit and had a corsage in his hands.

"You look beautiful," he complimented me. I smiled widely in thanks and approached him shyly, He slid the corsage on my wrist and kissed my cheek.

"Alright, you two," my dad said. He had a camera in his hands and was gesturing for us to stand beside each other for a picture. "Smile."

Edward pulled me into his side and we both smiled at the camera. The flash went off and my dad allowed us to leave so we wouldn't be too late. When we arrived at the school, Edward opened my door and helped me out of the car. I held onto his arm and we walked to the entrance. There was an archway lit up where someone took your picture as you entered. We stopped for a quick picture before we headed inside.

Music was blasting through a pair of speakers and people were dancing all over the place. On the other side of the room, I spotted Alice and Jasper and Rosalie and Emmett. Alice was wearing a black satin dress with geometric cutouts, and Rosalie was wearing a backless, scarlet dress that clung to her figure before it flared into a wide ruffled train. I waved to them when I caught their eye.

By the DJ area, I spotted Ben, Angela, Jessica, and Mike. Jess saw me, gestured to her dress, and gave me a thumbs up. She seemed happy with her choice of dress. Angela waved at me and shyly gestured towards Ben. I smiled and signaled for her to have fun. Edward leaned down so he could whisper in my ear and said, "Come this way."

He led me outside to a large gazebo decorated with lights and flowers. Slow music was playing, a change of pace from the fast music inside, and we were the only ones there. Edward pulled me to the dancefloor and led me into a slow dance.

"You're quite the dancer," he complimented.

"I'm pretty graceful on my feet," I said. "You're doing most of the work."

"I'd gladly do so if you have a good time."

I hummed and leaned into him. We moved in a small circle as Edward wrapped his arms around me. I was glad everything was over and things settled down. After Bella and I got out of the hospital, our mom took her back with her to Florida. With her knowledge of the Cullens' secret, I was unsure about her future. Because the Cullens were skeptical about her keeping the secret, they contacted the Volturi. I wasn't told what would happen, and I didn't want to know. At his point, whatever happened, happened.

"I'm glad I moved to Forks," I said.

"Why is that?" Edward asked.

"I met you. And the rest of your family. I feel like I've found where I belong."

Edward stopped us and stared into my eyes intensely.

"I have, too," he said. He leaned down and I tilted my head so our lips met in a sweet kiss. I savored the taste of his mouth as small shivers ran through me. He planted one last kiss on my lips and pulled away.

"I love you, Edward," I confessed. His eyes widened slightly before his face lit up in the warmest smile I'd ever seen.

"I love you, Toni."

They say that when you die, your life flashes before your eyes; that you relive all your most precious memories in a matter of minutes, seconds even. I guess they were lying. In what I thought were my last moments on this earth, I had thought of nothing but how my death would affect the people I loved. How would Charlie react? How would the Cullens react? How would Edward feel?

I knew that if I had never gone to Forks, this wouldn't have happened, but, didn't regret my decision. Forks had always been my home, so it was only a matter of time before I returned. My decision to move brought me love and happiness, and I will never regret that. My journey started there, and my future with Edward will continue there forever.

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special chapter is posted! Go read it!


	34. Special Chapter

**Third P.O.V.**

"Where are you taking me, Edward?" Toni asked impatiently. She was straddled to his back as he ran through the thick, dark forest. He had asked her to come with him somewhere at nine o'clock at night. She agreed, thinking he wanted to just drive around and talk or go on an impromptu date. When he held out the white blindfold to her to put on, she frowned at him and declined the invitation. He had sighed and asked her to trust him. So, she conceded. She was blindfolded and very irritated because he wasn't telling her anything. You'd think that after getting to know her, he'd realize that she didn't like surprises.

"It's a surprise," he said with mirth.

"I'm not in the mood for a surprise," she grumbled.

"Just be patient."

She grunted and settled herself. A few minutes later, he stopped moving and allowed her to climb off of his back. Her legs felt like jelly and wobbled a bit under the sudden pressure, but Edward supported her and helped her solidly stand. Although she couldn't see, her fingers brushed against a plant - a flower. She grasped it and rubbed it between a few of her fingers. She could only guess as to where he had taken her. The overwhelming floral scent and the sound of chirping crickets and bugs gave her a small clue. Edward left her side, causing her hands to take hold of the blindfold. His hands stopped her.

"Not yet," he said before leaving her side again. Trusting him, she let her arms fall limply at her sides. She stared straight ahead - or what she thought was straight ahead - and waited for Edward to return to her side. There was no way in hell she was going to move from that spot while she was visually impaired. She felt a hand grab hers and she flinched from the sudden contact. When the hand fully immersed itself in hers, she relaxed and strengthened her hold. He led her to a bench and sat down next to her. A soft, melodious tune entered the air, causing Toni to picture a piano sitting in the middle of a meadow. She was confused as to why he brought her all the way out to their meadow to play her a song when he could have just done it inside the house. Letting it go, Toni leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes and listened. The song seemed to wrap its arms around her and engulf her in a loving hug.

When no more piano notes floated through the sky, Toni picked up her head and turned it to her left - where Edward was sitting. She felt his hands caress her cheeks before moving to the tie of the blindfold. She waited with bated breath as he untied the annoying piece of fabric. When it fell away from her face, her eyes lit up in wonder. The meadow was lit up with lights - it was outlined with shining white lights. She didn't know how it was possible to get them to light up so far away from civilization, but she didn't ponder on it too long. There was a small table covered in a white fabric sitting in the middle of the open space. There was a box on top of it. A present. She looked at Edward. When he motioned to open the box with a smile, she did so.

She ripped open the box, not caring that she messed up the delicate details of the wrapping paper or that the lacy bow was laying on the ground, ready to be trampled on. She lifted the lid and grew confused when there was nothing in it. She peered into the box, thinking she had missed something, but there wasn't anything in the box.

"Edward, what is all of this?" she asked as she spun around with the box in her hand. She gasped, her mouth frozen in an 'o' shape and her eyes seemingly bulging out of their sockets. She dropped the box and covered her mouth with her hands. Her eyes welled up with tears. Edward was kneeling on one knee before her with a small box in his hand. His eyes glittered with mischief and love. He opened the box, revealing a beautiful ring. It was silver and oval-shaped with small diamonds encrusted into it. He held out a hand for Toni to grab. She latched onto his hand and used her other hand to cover the small noises coming from her mouth.

"Toni," Edward started, "When I first set eyes on you, I thought you were the most beautiful being on this Earth. I was happy -elated - to have found someone made especially for me. Although it took me time to sort out my feelings, learning who you truly are has been the best decision I have ever made. I've done things I am ashamed of. I have hurt you, made you cry, and put you through things no mate, boyfriend, or significant other should ever put their love through. I promise that I will love you, only you, until I am no longer of this earth. Loving you has been the best adventure of my existence and I can't wait to spend the rest of eternity with you. Will you marry me?"

Toni stared at him, glued to her place. She was in shock. Of course, they had talked about spending their lives together. And after four years of being together, she knew she was ready to marry him. All she had to do was say 'yes." For some reason, she couldn't say it right away. She knew what would come when she said that three-letter word. They'd get married and then she'd be turned into a vampire to stay by his side forever. She wasn't sure if she wanted to leave her dad, yet, though. He was a solid in her life and was the best parent she had. She knew when she turned she wouldn't be able to see him. She'd never get the chance to see him again.

But he was doing fine, now. He had Sue to keep him company and to warm his lonely heart. Besides, she had already left the nest, so to speak. She was an adult and a freshman in online college. She got to decide what happened to her and why. She would miss her dad, but she knew that Edward was the beginning of a new adventure - of a new life filled with nothing but happiness. So, as she stared into his golden eyes full of love, nervousness, and joy, she nodded her head and said that three-letter word so softly, Edward wouldn't be able to hear it if he didn't have very good hearing.

"Yes."

A brilliant smile graced his face as he carefully placed the ring on her finger. HE marveled at the sight before placing a kiss on her hand and looking up at her through full eyelashes. He stood and wrapped her in his arms. He picked her up slightly and spun her around, chuckling as she giggled in delight. He placed her back on the ground and stared into her eyes.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you, too," Toni said back warmly.

"Now," Edward said with a slight laugh, "let's break the news to Alice."

Toni snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Like she doesn't already know."


End file.
